AHOSKIE – Make it a double.

For the second time this season the Ridgecroft School varsity girl’s basketball team took a win over Ahoskie Christian School. This time in the Monday night opening round of the Lt. Nick Brantley Scholarship Tournament at Ridgecroft.

As she did in the first game, Bardin Murray led the way for the Lady Rams with 19 points, three steals, and three rebounds. Caitlin Harrison contributed 10 points with seven rebounds and three steals while Tayler Smith hauled down 10 rebounds and made six steals. Kristina Cooper also had seven rebounds.

Dyane Hall led Ahoskie Christian with 12 points while Sarah Calderado had 10.

“We played pretty good, but they played a lot better since the first game,” said Lady Rams assistant Doug Cobbs. “We had some pretty good shooters on the outside.”

Indeed, the Lady Rams rained down jump shots in the first quarter as they raced out to a 15-6 lead and controlled the boards throughout the game.

After Harrison tied the contest at 2-2, Ridgecroft went on a tear. Murray made a free throw then a pair of lay-ups, then a lay-up by Cooper made it 9-2 before Calderado broke the drought with a short jump shot. Ridgecroft then made three shots from the wing and led 15-8 going into the second quarter.

In that quarter Ridgecroft pressured the ball and the turnovers led to easy scores while the Lady Warriors had trouble finding any offensive rhythm.

Murray closed out the quarter with six of Ridgecroft’s final eight points and 15 for the half as the home team posted a 29-10 lead at the break.

Neither team mustered much offense in the final two quarters though the Lady Warriors seemed to settle down.

Ridgecroft ended the third frame up by 20 at 37-17, and with Ridgecroft Head Coach Susan Nabinger substituting down the stretch the Lady Rams coasted to the 22-point victory.

“Our intensity fell off some in the second half and they did a lot to take us out of our game so give them credit,” said Cobbs, “but we came back in the end.”

“We’ve got a young team,” said ACS coach Phillip Tipton, “and tonight was our point guard’s first game back in a while. They out-rebounded us by a lot and it showed.”