DURHAM–It would be easy to draw comparisons between Amiyah Ware and LeBron James.
Just 24 hours removed from James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record, Ware made her own history inside Durham’s venerable Paul Sikes Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Against the Durham School of the Arts, Ware scored 51 points to propel the Cedar Ridge women’s team past the Bulldogs 65-57 in the Red Wolves’ regular season finale.
She became the first player in the history of Orange County, male or female, to have two 50-point games in the same season. It happened only five days after Ware set the Orange County record by scoring 54 points against Western Alamance, She topped the record set by Orange High’s Ronnie McAdoo in 1978 when he scored 53 against Southern Durham.
Like millions of others, Ware stayed up past her bedtime late Tuesday night to watch James sink a fadeaway for his 38,353rd point. Just as James captured the attention of the sports world, Ware’s domination of the Bulldogs riveted the fans inside Sikes Gymnasium, practically a miniature version of Cameron Indoor Stadium with bleachers on the lower-level and six rows of dark blue wooden seats circling the upper-deck and a crow’s nest.
Except Ware is more of a Jayson Tatum girl. She watched him play for her college team, Duke, growing up and thinks he’ll lead the Celtics to its 18th World Championship this year.
Ware closed out Cedar Ridge’s regular season by avenging an earlier loss to the Bulldogs. On November 21, the Bulldogs rolled past the Red Wolves 55-26 in Cedar Ridge’s home opener.
It should come as no surprise that Ware wasn’t in the lineup that night for the Red Wolves, still working her way back from a torn ACL in her right knee suffered last spring.
On Wednesday night, there was all sorts of obstacles that Ware overcame to lead the Red Wolves to its fourth straight victory of the year. At halftime, Cedar Ridge went to the locker room leading 32-28, with Ware scoring 18 in the first half. Yet when the Red Wolves walked out to start the second half, the overhead scoreboard read 32-30, the first of several discrepancies between the two teams’ scorekeepers on the night. After lengthy deliberation between the three officials, Cedar Ridge started the half with its four-point lead intact.
In the second half, Ware scored 33 of Cedar Ridge’s 34 points. Senior Grace Young’s fourth quarter free throw was the only exception to the Red Wolves’ second half scoring total.
Ware had to play the final quarter with four fouls. On the other hand, she fouled out three DSA guards sacrificed with the unenviable task of defending her all night. That included Lindsay Suitt and Nylah Daniels, the Bulldogs’ top two scorers.
Late in the game, a DSA reserve got extra aggressive and caught Ware with a hand across the face, which fired up the Cedar Ridge bench, not to mention Ware. Late in the game, Ware laid down a crossover move on another DSA substitute which left the hapless Bulldog sprawling to the floor flat on her backside, sending every fan in the gym reeling. It led to Ware’s final free throws of the game.
Ware’s latest extraordinary effort led to a successful farewell for seniors Cameron Copeland, Cierra Copeland, Grace Young, Beysi Asencio, and Deepmala Ford-Williams, all of whom won their final regular season game.
Men’s Basketball: Durham School of the Arts 62, Cedar Ridge 56
Cedar Ridge hoped that a viral campaign to make guard Landon Dalehite eligible for Wednesday’s game against Durham School of the Arts would be enough to carry the Red Wolves to victory.
Though Dalehite was allowed to play by the NCHSAA, DSA was able to avenge a loss from November.
Josh Dorsette scored 25 points as the Bulldogs (6-16) defeated the Red Wolves 62-56. Early in the third quarter, Cedar Ridge took a 35-34 lead after a lay-in by Colton Taylor, who paced the Red Wolves with 21 points. Cedar Ridge built its lead to 37-34 after a transition basket by Taylor on a feed from Dalehite. Shortly afterwards, Taylor was called for his third and fourth fouls, which sent him out of the game for the final 3:02 of the third quarter.
The Cedar Ridge scorekeeper had Taylor for one foul at the end of the first half, but the Durham School of the Arts scorekeeper had him with two. The home scorebook is the official scorebook for all games at non-neutral sites.
After Taylor picked him his fourth foul, Cedar Ridge was never able to regain momentum offensively. Jaden Haynes drilled a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs back ahead. Dorsetts scored eight points in the fourth quarter.
Cedar Ridge (6-15) will start play in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night against an opponent to be determined. If Orange defeats Eastern Alamance this Friday, and if Person knocks off Walter Williams, then the Red Wolves will travel to Orange for the opening round.
On Tuesdays night in Burlington, Walter Williams defeated Cedar Ridge. Dalehite was ejected after two technical fouls that Red Wolves coach Mike Jones, along with many others on the team, took issue with. It led to the Cedar Ridge Instagram account starting a viral campaign named #Freelando. It worked, as Dalehite was cleared to play by the NCHSAA hours before tipoff.
Women’s Basketball: Cedar Ridge 65, Durham School of the Arts 57:
Cedar Ridge: Amiyah Ware 51, Annora Leaf 2, Grace Young 4, Jamee Rose Watson 8.
Durham School of the Arts: Nylah Daniels 15, Lindsay Suitt 27, Eboseta Arhuidese 11, Genesis Danies 2, Tatyana Cheek 2.
3-pointers: Cedar Ridge 2 (Watson 2) Durham School of the Arts 3 (Daniels 3)
Fouled Out: Durham School of the Arts (Suitt, Daniels, Kamryn Ettson)
Men’s Basketball: Durham School of the Arts 62, Cedar Ridge 56
Cedar Ridge: Colton Taylor 21, Jonovan Wingate 4, Hayden Kirk 5, Braedon Wilbourn 8, Landon Dalehite 4, Harrison Perel 2, Luke Orstad 6, Corin Wingate 6.
Durham School of the Arts: Darryn Johnson 10, Josh Dorsette 25, Kaleb Lucas 6, Jaden Haynes 17, Billy Dupree 4.
3-Pointers: Cedar Ridge 3 (Taylor, Orstad, Wilbourn) Durham School of the Arts 4 (Dorsette 2, Haynes 2)