Orange 42, East Chapel Hill 33: It didn’t set records for shooting accuracy, but Orange’s defense and late field goals from Addie Atkins paced the Lady Panthers past East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night.
Atkins finished with 17 points and six rebounds while the Orange defense forced 33 turnovers in a victory over the Wildcats. Evelyn George added 13 points, eight rebounds and 10 steals as Orange improved to 3-1.
The Lady Panthers won despite shooting just 20% from the field. East Chapel Hill played without its leading scorer Abigail Stone. Lauren Steiner led the Wildcats with 16 points. Wildcats center Zariah Freeman finished with 13 points and ten rebounds.
Orange trailed for most of the game as they were unable to get things going from 3-point range, shooting just 2-of-25. East Chapel Hill 25-16 with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter after a free throw from Steiner. George started a 15-2 run with a field goal late in the second quarter while getting fouled by Steiner. Orange’s Maura McMurtry scored on a lay-in to reduce Orange’s deficit to 25-21 going into the fourth quarter.
McMurtry fed George for a 18-footer to open the fourth quarter. After Freeman scored on a lay-in off a pass from Steiner, Atkins scored four consecutive points to put Orange into tie the game. Atkins sank two free throws, then scored after she stole an inbounds pass for an easy lay-in while getting fouled by Carrie Allred. Atkins hit the free throw and Orange never trailed again. George forced a steal on the Wildcat end and got free for a lay-up and was fouled by Eleanor Schwartz. George completed the three-point play to increase Orange’s lead to 31-27.
Consecutive field goals by Freeman and Steiner put the Wildcats within a point at 32-31 with 2:12 remaining, but McMurtry and Shannon Murphy spaced out Orange’s lead with two more field goals.
Orange will travel to Chapel Hill on Friday night.
Cedar Ridge 59, Northern Durham 27:
Cedar Ridge jumped out to a 19-2 run and dominated Northern Durham on Monday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves are 2-3, its best start since the 2017-2018 season.
Amiyah Ware led the Red Wolves with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Sarah Utley added eleven points, six assists and five steals.
It was a sizable disparity between the last meeting between the two teams. Last year, without Ware, the Knights defeated the Red Wolves by 29 points. Cedar Ridge coach Megan Skouby won her first game as the Red Wolves head coach against Northern Durham on December 6, 2021 when Phoenix Smith scored off a short jumper on a pass from Julie Altieri with two seconds remaining to win 45-44.
There was no such drama on Monday night. From the time Addie Reid knocked scored on a stickback basket with 6:37 remaining in the first quarter, the Red Wolves easily earned its first home win of the season. The Red Wolves scored the first seven points of the game, capped by a three-pointer from Ware off a pass from Utley. After Northern’s Ky Walker scored the Knights only basket of the first quarter with 4:50 remaining, the Red Wolves went on a 16-0 run to put the game away. It started when Utley drained a three-pointer off a pass from Ware, followed by two free throws from James Watson. Watson ended the first quarter with a lay-in assisted by Koryn Shearin.
Ware opened the second quarter with a three-pointer assisted by Utley. The Red Wolves led 34-8 at halftime. They limited Northern to just nine field goals and 25% shooting from the field.
Watson finished with eight points. Seniors Cameron Copeland and Cyani Jacobs each scored six points.
Cedar Ridge defeated Chatham Central for its first win of the season on November 21 in Bear Creek. The Red Wolves will face Northern Durham again tonight, this time in Northern’s new gymnasium.