Basketball Recap: Jordan Jacobson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Cedar Ridge over Chatham Central

Cedar Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They lost to the Chatham Central Bears at home by a 56-41 margin. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Fighting Red Wolves this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 47-41 back in December of 2024.

Cedar Ridge's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jordan Jacobson, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 19 points. That was a full 46.3% of Cedar Ridge's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Jack Kelsey was another key player, putting up six points along with seven rebounds and six blocks.

Chatham Central had a senior duo take command as Reid Albright dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds and Brennen Oldham went 6 of 13 on his way to 15 points in addition to eight rebounds and seven assists. Albright is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last 32 games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Luke Gaines, who had seven points and three steals.

Cedar Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Chatham Central, the victory was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-1.

Cedar Ridge will welcome Western Alamance at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Western Alamance knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Cedar Ridge likes a good challenge. As for Chatham Central, they will head out to face off against Northwood at 8:00 p.m. on January 16th. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Northwood has won six straight at home, while Chatham Central won four straight on the road), something that'll have to change.