Carrboro did that, and extremely well, with a solid 77-62 win Friday at home against Cedar Ridge. And with that, the Jaguars clinched their first Carolina-12 championship in boys’ basketball.

Winning for the 11th straight time since a two-point loss at 4A East ChapelHill, 2A Carrboro improved to 21-3 overall and 16-0 in the Carolina-12 heading into the postseason, while dropping Cedar Ridge to 8-16, 8-8.

“We talk about end-game situations, and we practice those situations,” Alcox said. “For us to be able to come out and close the deal like that is proof that that’s working.”

Matt MacKinnon led Carrboro with 18 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter. He was joined in double figures by junior James Scott and senior Malik Carrington, who each contributed 12 points. Kyle Jones of Cedar Ridge led all scorers with 22.

The Jaguars held a 17-8 lead at the end of one quarter, and entered the locker room with a 29-20 advantage.

Carrboro relied on a quick transition game that allowed it to either find the open man or draw a foul against an unsettled defense.

Taking the court against Cedar Ridge on senior night, Carrboro’s players had just watched their girls’ team fall to the Red Wolves on a last-second shot. They had seen the looks on the faces of the seniors as they had victory yanked out from under them.

They were determined not to allow that same fate to befall them.

"We knew that coming in that Cedar Ridge, they’ve always been a tough out,"Alcox said. "They always get after it, they pursue the ball hard. They do the things that you need to do to stay in the game."

Alcox said his Jaguars struggled somewhat from the line in the beginning of the game, but that when Cedar Ridge made a run in the fourth quarter to cut what had been an 18-point lead to nine, the Jaguars stepped up.

“With the game on the line, we were able to knock down our free throws and close it out,” he said.

MacKinnon proved especially adept at getting to the line and finishing in the closing period, going eight-of-nine from the foul line in the fourth quarter alone.

Closing games out was likely in the forefront of his team’s mind.

Wolves win girls’ game

Earlier in the evening, Cedar Ridge won the girls’ contest 51-49 in a game decided on a last-second shot.

Carrboro (14-9, 9-7) trailed until late in the fourth quarter, and made just three field goals in the second and third periods.

The Jaguars made a late run, though, leading by three with a minute to play. But the Jaguars’ aggressiveness going to the basket couldn’t make up for sloppy play and bad passes.

After Cedar Ridge’s Kyley Clark made a layup to tie the game at 49, she stole the inbounds pass and immediately put the ball to the glass for the winning basket, which dropped in after lingering precariously on the rim.