Takia Nichols 1st varsity softball game was Thursday. Ignite against Bartlett Yancey, and it was memorable. In her very first at-bat, she laced a two-Run double to left field to jumpstart a 13-run 2nd inning for the Red Wolves. Later that inning, she grooved a two-run single to centerfield. Even though she’s a freshman, Nichols got the start at 3rd base in Cedar Ridge’s season-opener as the defending Big 8 Conference champions defeated the Lady Bucs 19-7, even though they trailed 6-0 going into the bottom of the second inning. After getting rained out twice this week, Cedar Ridge will try to get back on the field next week against Cardinal Gibbons. 

Cedar Ridge shortstop Tionna Carter went 3-for -4 with RBIs in the Cedar Ridge softball team’s season-opening 19-6 victory over Bartlett Yancey on Thursday night in Hillsborough. After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, Carter went to bat twice during Cedar Ridge’s  13-run 2nd inning. In the first at-bat, she singled to centerfield to score Taylor Rhul. Later, Carter was knocked in by Kymberlie Thacker on a sacrifice fly to right field. Later on in the second inning, Carter laced another single up the middle to score Takia Nichols. She would go on to score again in the 2nd off a sharp grounder by Tori Dalehite. In the third inning, Carter had her third RBI of the game with an infield single to plate Reagan Rhul. Carter scores her third run of the game off a double by Dalehite. 

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior Natalia Garay. Last week, Natalia played her final basketball game at Cedar Ridge after three years at the varsity level. As a sophomore and junior, she helped Cedar Ridge reach the 3A State Playoffs. This season, Garay played 25 games for the Red Wolves and knocked down some important early field goals in their upset victory over Orange on January 9. In addition to playing basketball, Garay runs track and is a member of the International Baccalaureate Program at Cedar Ridge. Last October, she was named the homecoming queen at halftime of Cedar Ridge’s JV football game against Chapel Hill. 

A tough campaign for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team came to an end on Monday night. Hillside defeated the Red Wolves 66-30 in the Big 8 Conference quarterfinals in Durham. Cedar Ridge ends the season 1-23. The Red Wolves were hurt by defections in the offseason. The good news is Cedar Ridge’s junior varsity boys team won ten games, its best record in recent years. Coach Clay Jones is also happy that several of his players will spend their spring playing lacrosse to keep in shape for next year. Meanwhile, Hillside will prepare for Northern Durham on Wednesday night in the Big 8 semifinals.

On Tuesday night, the Orange women’s basketball team officially sewed up a spot in the 3A North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Playoffs when they defeated Southern Durham 42-35 at Spartan Gymnasium. It was another night where guard Lauren Cates came up big in the clutch, knocking down three 3-pointers in the 2nd half to finish with a game-high 17 points. Icez Barnett added ten points. Orange clinched the second-seed in the Big 8 Conference Tournament, which starts on Monday night. Orange will host East Chapel Hill at 6 o’clock. If they win, they will host Wednesday night’s semifinal game against either Southern Durham or Cedar Ridge. The Lady Panthers completed the regular season 19-5.

The successful Orange wrestling career of Levi Anderson concluded on Saturday. In the 145-pound 3A state championship wrestling match, Spencer Leonhardt of Morganton Freedom defeated Anderson 3-0 to win his second consecutive state championship at the Greensboro Coliseum. Anderson concludes the season with a record of 52-5. This season, he won five individual championships, including the 3A Mideast Regional Championship. In addition, Anderson was among the highest scorers for the Orange men’s soccer team this past season. In his career, Anderson won over 120 matches and was a part of four conference championship teams and two regional title teams.