Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 20 to ten on the offensive boards, a fact the Ridgecroft Rams proved on Monday. They snuck past Halifax Academy with a 52-47 win. Given Ridgecroft's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 211th, while Halifax Academy is ranked 473rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ridgecroft was led to victory by Antron Gray and Baylor Edwards. Gray scored 16 points along with six assists, while Edwards scored 18 points along with six steals. The match was Gray's ninth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Gunter, who scored four points along with eight rebounds.
Halifax Academy lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Thad Harris, who scored 16 points along with six steals and five assists. Another player making a difference was Avery Boone, who scored 11 points along with six rebounds.
Ridgecroft's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.5 points per game. As for Halifax Academy, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-7.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ridgecroft will face off against Rocky Mount Academy at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday. Rocky Mount Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Ridgecroft likes a good challenge. As for Halifax Academy, they will head out on the road to face off against Thales Academy Rolesville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
