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All it took was Clay Jones to let the reigns free to make Cedar Ridge make the greatest comeback in school history.

Against its archrival…who was playing for a conference championship.

Trailing by 18 in the second half, the Red Wolves rallied to stun Orange 69-63 on Friday night at a packed Red Wolves Gymnasium on senior night. Peyton Pappas led the comeback with 32 points, while senior Kyle Jones added 15, with 13 coming in the second half.

The comeback was all the more remarkable considering that the already depleted Red Wolves lost senior starter Eric Phillips early in the third quarter with an injured knee. Phillips returned later in the game on crutches.

The collapse by Orange was expensive. With a win, the Panthers would have tied Cardinal Gibbons for the Big 8 Conference Championship, and would have earned the top-seed for next week’s Big 8 Conference Tournament. Instead, Orange will be seeded 2nd and will face Northwood on Monday in Hillsborough.

Orange dominated the second quarter behind strong play from Logan Vosburg (who finished with 14 points) and Garrett Cloer (11 points). The Panthers led 37-22 at the half.

Rather that tear into his team during intermission, Cedar Ridge Coach Clay Jones did more than just back off. He basically let Pappas and Jones do the coaching.

“We (the coaches) stood outside the locker room,” said Jones, now in his second year as head coach. “Peyton and Kyle actually took the drawing board. They did some things together. That’s why I love this team so much because it’s not about us. It’s about everbody involved. When you prepare them as much as I can, at a certain time you have to take the reigns off and say `If you want to win on your senior night, you’ve got to do it.'”

That’s exactly what the Red Wolves did in the fourth quarter. With Orange going into the final frame leading 52-45, Pappas and Jones went to work, finishing the game on a 24-11 run.

Cedar Ridge travels to Chapel Hill in the opening round of the Big 8 Conference Tournament on Monday night. The game can be heard on 97.9 FM WCHL starting at 8, immediately following Roy Williams Live.