AHOSKIE – The tides appeared to have turned.

Heading into Tuesday night’s matchup, it was Lawrence Academy and not rival Ridgecroft School that was state-ranked. The Warriors’ varsity boys basketball team was rated number 10 in the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association rankings and fresh off a win over Cape Hatteras High School.

None of that mattered Tuesday when the Rams put on a spectacular shooting performance and knocked off their rivals 74-59.

The game didn’t start well for the home team, however, as Lawrence jumped out to an 11-3 lead over the first four minutes of the game.

Daniel Oliver got things started for Lawrence with a three-pointer, but Ridgecroft senior Josh Morris answered from the other end of the floor.

The Warriors, however, rolled off the next eight points to take an 11-3 lead.

Shane Stevens was the catalyst for Lawrence’s run, hitting a pair of field goals while Holden Ratzlaff had a hoop as well. Daniel Oliver and Chad Oliver also had free throws.

Ridgecroft began to chip away at the lead when James Taylor hit a pair of free throws and Dillon Lowe buried a triple to make it 13-10.

The Rams took the lead briefly with just under a minute to play in the period when Logan Kinlaw scored, but Daniel Oliver buried a deuce and converted the ensuing free throw to help Lawrence lead 20-19 after one quarter.

Ridgecroft held the same one-point lead two and a half minutes into the second period, but went on a 9-2 run to open up their advantage. Taylor had the first two points, but Morris scored seven of the nine points that put the Rams up 34-26.

Lawrence’s Holden Ratzlaff buried a three late in the half, but Taylor countered with a bucket for Ridgecroft to help the Rams lead 36-29 at the intermission.

After Ridgecroft surged to a 57-40 lead late in the third quarter, Lawrence began to make a comeback.

Ratzlaff started the comeback with his hoop at the 1:30 mark, sparking a 10-0 Warrior run that got the Ridgecroft lead down to 10 (57-50) heading into the final period.

The Rams, however, started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, sparked by four consecutive points from Morris and a deuce by Lowe that pushed the Ram’s lead back to 13 (63-50).

From there, the Rams were able to keep a comfortable lead the rest of the way and secure the victory.