Even after an 0-6 start, you won’t see Mike Jones panicking,
His boundless enthusiasm is impossible to ignore along the sidelines during Cedar Ridge men’s basketball games, constantly applauding his defense in the midst of possessions and trying to find the right pieces for a team that hasn’t had a winning season in eight years.
“It’s kind of my nature,” Jones said. “I just feel like the moment I give up and lose my confidence, they’re going to lose their confidence. They say that attitude reflects leadership, so the minute I give up, everybody else is going to give up. I think the true test of anybody is how you handle the bad days. Everybody’s good on a good day. How do you handle the bad days?”
On Wednesday night, Jones patience paid off when the Red Wolves defeated Jordan-Matthews 46-38 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Senior Landon Dalehite scored eleven points while center Harrison Perel finished with ten points and eleven rebounds.
“Top to bottom, we played like a team tonight,” Jones said. “Everybody played good. Harrison played his second good game in a row. Braedon played his second good game in a row. Braedon’s rebounding as a guard meant a lot. Our zone looked really good. We took their big men out of the game. We executed at the other end and played through our mistakes. Really proud of our guys.”
Cedar Ridge out rebounded the Jets 40-20 to secure its first win of the season. Braeden Wilbourn finished with eight points and nine rebounds as the Red Wolves avenged a 58-46 loss to the Jets on November 27 in Siler City.
Jordan-Matthews led 19-18 after a lay-in by Brennen Oldham off an assist from Kelton Fuquay with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter. Dalehite put the Red Wolves ahead with a three-pointer from the corner off a skip pass from freshman point guard Jordan Jacobson. On Cedar Ridge’s next possession, Jacobson found Dalehite again for another 3-pointer. Jacobson knocked down a jumper after the Jets missed a jumper to increase the Red Wolf lead to 26-19, leading to a J-M timeout.
The Jets got a 3-pointer from Kamarie Hadley and a lay-in from Brennen Oldham to reduce the Red Wolf lead to 26-24 with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter, Cedar Ridge finished out the third quarter with seven straight points, starting with a lay-in from Perel off a pass from Elijah Jenkins. Wilbourn finished the quarter with a three-point play where he scored off a steal at midcourt and was fouled by Oldham. Wilbourn’s subsequent free-throw increased the Red Wolf lead to 33-24 going into the fourth quarter
Cedar Ridge pulled away early in the fourth quarter. They held the Jets without a field goal in the opening four minutes. Jacobson, who finished with nine points, drained a 20-footer off a relocation pass from Luke Orstad to put the Red Wolves ahead 36-25 with 6:13 remaining. Corin Wingate, the smallest player on the floor, scored off an offensive rebound following a miss by Jacobson to put the cap on a 13-1 Red Wolf run.
“Jacobson was playing middle school basketball last year,” Jones said. “He’s amazing. I’m going to have trouble keeping him. Other schools are going to be going after him. Jordan did really well tonight.”
The Jets narrowed its deficit to 38-31 following four free throws from Fuquay with 2:35 remaining, but Wilbourn scored off a stickback basket to put the game on ice.
The Red Wolves will venture into its Central Conference opener against Western Alamance in Elon on Friday night, its final game before holiday break. For the first time since 2016, Cedar Ridge will play in a holiday tournament this year. The Red Wolves will play in the Southeast Alamance tournament in Haw River, organized by former Orange High women’s basketball coach B.J. Condron. Cedar Ridge will play three games over three days starting on December 28.