AHOSKIE – The walking – sometimes – wounded.

Ridgecroft School’s Lady Rams came into the season expecting to compete for the Tarheel Independent Conference championship. The Lady Rams still may, but midway through the season they are struggling due to injury.

Hennie Larabee, the team’s leading scorer, has missed two games with a knee injury and last year’s Roanoke-Chowan Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Colson is playing, but is also struggling with a knee injury.

“We’re pretty banged up right now,” Rams’ coach Susan Oliver said. “We’re working through it, but right now we’re struggling because of the injuries.”

That struggle continued Tuesday when the Rams dropped a 50-24 decision to Hobgood Academy. The TIC leaders got 15 points from Player of the Year candidate Schuyler Edmondson and 12 from Morgan Medford as they secured the win.

Ridgecroft was paced by Colson’s seven points and Katie Blowe’s six. Mary-joe Harrell added five. Larabee missed her second game due to the injury.

While the Rams eventually succumbed to the Raiders, they played well during the first quarter, trailing only 10-7 after one quarter.

Hobgood pulled away in the second period, however, when they outscored the Rams 15-6 to take a 25-13 lead at the intermission.

They will step out of TIC play Tuesday when they host Bethel Christian Academy.