The Ashley Ridge boys took the fight to the Cobras Friday and earned a 49-40 victory.
It was a tight ball game at Cane Bay High School for three periods.
Swamp Fox Tre Deloach and Cobra Henry Taylor banged it up inside and the guards for the teams answered each other’s productivity, though the Swamp Foxes attacked mostly inside while the Cobras opted for jumpers.
Ashley Ridge pulled out to a two-point lead early in the game, but then Cane Bay’s Cameron West hit two threes in the final minute of the first period, including one at the buzzer, to put the Cobra’s up 8-4 entering the second stanza.
It was back and fourth in the second as the lead changed hands a couple of times. With some big plays from Taylor, the Cobra’s took a 20-16 lead into the half.
Halfway through the third, Chris Redd hit a three to give the Foxes a 23-20 lead and momentum.
At the buzzer for the period, eighth-grader Fred Weeks hit a three from way behind the arc for a 33-25 Ashley Ridge lead entering the final period.
Despite two of its normal starters and its sixth missing the game due to illness, Ashley Ridge was able to maintain the lead during the final period.
“Illness has just ran rampant through Ashley Ridge so a lot of kids got a chance to step up and show how hard they work everyday,” Swamp Fox coach Brian Welch said. “I am so proud of each of the kids who haven’t got a lot of minutes, but stepped up tonight. Everyone on this team goes all out at practice so it’s nice to see that when they are called upon, they are ready.”
Deloach, a normal starter, led the way for the Foxes, providing a team-high 15 points and 14 rebounds. Redd had 10 points while eighth-grader Khalil Davis had eighth and Weeks had seven.
Nick Poole also had a big night on the boards with five rebounds.
Taylor finished with a game-high 16 points for the Cobras. Cameron West and Damon Chiggers both hit a pair of threes in the game and finished with eight points each.
The win is the second of the season for the first-year Ashley Ridge team, which does not have any upperclassmen.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.