Basketball Recap: Andreas Kazakos' Big Game Can't Quite Lead R.J. Reynolds over Davie

R.J. Reynolds was the 65-62 winner over Davie when they last played one another back in February of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The R.J. Reynolds Demons took a 57-51 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Davie War Eagles. While losing is never fun, the Demons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 342nd, while the War Eagles are ranked 48th).

R.J. Reynolds lost on Friday despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Andreas Kazakos, who went 5 of 11 en route to 16 points and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Burns, who posted 18 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Davie's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jackson Powers, who shot 4-for-6 from long range and dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten boards. Powers is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Elliott Erlandsson was another key player, dropping a double-double on 17 points and 16 rebounds.

R.J. Reynolds has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for Davie, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 13-3.

R.J. Reynolds didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 65-63 defeat against Randleman on the 18th. As for Davie, they will host East Forsyth at 7:45 p.m. on January 24th. Davie is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.2 points per game this season.