Basketball Preview: Raleigh Charter Phoenix vs. Franklin Academy Patriots
The Raleigh Charter Phoenix will look to take advantage of their home-court for the first time this season as they take on the Franklin Academy Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Raleigh Charter has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Franklin Academy will arrive with three straight wins.
Raleigh Charter is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took a 63-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Excelsior Classical Academy. While the Phoenix didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Flying Lions 20-13 in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, everything went Franklin Academy's way against Research Triangle on Tuesday as Franklin Academy made off with a 66-44 victory. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Raptors are ranked 252nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Micah Rutledge, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. What's more, he also racked up ten offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in November of 2023. Another player making a difference was Hayes Lewis, who went 5 for 10 en route to 12 points plus five rebounds and two steals.
Franklin Academy's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 24.7 points. As for Raleigh Charter, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Raleigh Charter was dealt a bruising 75-44 defeat at the hands of Franklin Academy in their previous meeting back in February. Will Raleigh Charter have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
