Yolanda Simpson and Maddy Wardlow fueled a comeback win for the Cedar Ridge girls basketball team that has them on the verge of a return visit to the state playoffs.
Simpson posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds as the Red Wolves bounced back from an early deficit to defeat Chapel Hill 56-42 at Tiger Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Playing the first of three games in four nights, the Red Wolves scorers came up huge down the stretch. Simpson’s 16 points led CRHS, but Logan Woody and Madison Wardlow each scored 14 points. Sophomore Tori Dalehite, playing a day after her father Danny celebrated a birthday, added six points, five rebounds and four assists.
Chapel Hill falls to 7-10, 4-3 in the Big 8.
Trailing 24-17 at the half, Cedar Ridge scored 39 points in the second half to improve to 10-6, 4-2 in the Big 8. The Red Wolves are now in third place in the Big 8 with a short turnaround. They host Southern Durham on Wednesday night at 6. The Spartans sit atop the Big 8 with a 6-0 record. Southern easily disposed of Northern Durham 64-29 on Monday night at Spartans Gymnasium.
In the boys game, Chapel Hill continued to thrive even without star guard Elijah Haynes. The Tigers maintained its undefeated record in Big 8 Conference play by trouncing Cedar Ridge 71-40. A.J. Thompson scored 12 points to lead the Tigers, who held Cedar Ridge to five points in the second AND fourth quarters. Khalil Hill added ten for the Tigers, who are now 7-0 in the Big 8, 12-5 overall.
Terrence Crawford paced Cedar Ridge with eleven points, the only Red Wolf in double figures. Khalil Barnett was held to six.
Cedar Ridge is now 3-12, 1-5 in the Big 8. They host Southern Durham in the second half of the doubleheader tonight. The girls play at 6, the boys at 7:30. The game can be heard here on HillsboroughSports.com.