Basketball Recap: Kai Wade Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Cedar Ridge

Orange won the last time they faced Cedar Ridge and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Orange Panthers put the hurt on the Cedar Ridge Fighting Red Wolves with a sharp 63-41 win. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Fighting Red Wolves are ranked 439th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Orange's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kai Wade, who posted 12 points along with six assists and five steals. Wade is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Clark, who went 5 of 7 en route to 14 points and five rebounds.

Orange smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive contests.

Cedar Ridge's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jordan Jacobson, who put up 16 points along with five boards and four steals, and Jack Kelsey, who had six points in addition to eight boards and five blocks. That was a full 39% of Cedar Ridge's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Braeden Wilbourn, who put up eight points and three steals.

Orange has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Cedar Ridge, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-9.

Orange wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 67-65 win against Person on the 9th. As for Cedar Ridge, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 56-41 loss against Chatham Central on the 8th.