AHOSKIE – Ridgecroft had eight players score as they defeated Ahoskie Christian School 57-34 here Friday night.

The contest was a close one through the first two quarters, but the Rams opened the second half on a 12-0 run and all but put the game away.

Leading by five (24-19) as the third quarter started, the Rams got back-to-back buckets by Austin Britton to surge ahead 28-19. Braxton Sumner then had a hoop and a pair of free throws before he and Ethan Phelps hit consecutive shots to give Ridgecroft a 36-19 lead.

Ahoskie’s Zack Walter finally stopped the spurt with a free throw, but Miles Harrell buried a triple at the other end to push Ridgecroft’s lead to 19 (39-20).

Another Walter free throw got the Warriors a little closer, but Bobby Edwards buried a triple for Ridgecroft to answer. A Kyle Simmons bucket late in the quarter was Ahoskie first score from the floor, but Edwards answered again with a three-pointer that made it 45-23.

Walter and Dillon Lassiter sandwiched hoops around a Harrell bucket for Ridgecroft as Ahoskie got as close as 47-27 by the end of the third quarter.

The Warriors scored the first four points of the fourth quarter with Patrick Olson hitting a hoop and two free throws, but Kinchen Taylor scored for Ridgecroft to answer.

Walter then buried a triple that got Ahoskie to within 15 (49-34), but they would get no closer.

Sumner scored twice while Edwards and Phelps also added a bucket as Ridgecroft pulled away to a 57-34 victory.

Edwards led Ridgecroft with 17 points while Sumner added 14. Harrell had eight and Britton added six while Michael Byrum scored five points, Phelps had four points, Taylor had two and Nathan Pierce had one point.

Walter led Ahoskie Christian with 15 points while Simmons and Olson had seven each. Lassiter added five points.

“Everybody got to play tonight,” said first-year Rams’ coach Brandon Hodges. “We worked hard and played team basketball. Now we have to get ready for the TIC opener on Tuesday.”

The game was close through the first quarter with Ahoskie Christian grabbing a 5-1 early lead thanks to a hoop by Simmons and free throws from Walter and Lassiter.

Ridgecroft finally got their first hoop when Harrell scored midway through the period, but Ahoskie responded with hoops from Olson and Walter to go ahead 9-3.

The Rams closed out the first quarter on a 5-0 run thanks to Edwards hitting a triple and a deuce as they closed within 9-8.

Ahoskie surged back ahead when Walter hit a hoop and a pair of free throws, but back came the Rams with baskets by Sumner and Byrum as they closed back within one (13-12).

A Lassiter hoop stopped the Ridgecroft run, but the Rams came right back with an 8-0 spurt that gave them the lead for the first time.

Britton tied the game on his two free throws and then Byrum buried a triple before Sumner hit a field goal. An Edwards free throw finished the run with Ridgecroft on top 21-15.

Ahoskie got a free throw from Olson and then a triple from Simmons to get within two, but a triple from Edwards as the first half drew to a close left Ridgecroft ahead by five at the break.

Ridgecroft will host Pungo Christian Academy tonight (Tuesday) in the Tarheel Independent Conference opener.