Basketball Game Preview: NCSSM: Durham Unicorns vs. Wake Prep Academy Guardians

The NCSSM: Durham Unicorns will venture away from home to face off against the Wake Prep Academy Guardians at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as NCSSM: Durham comes in on five and Wake Prep Academy on 17.

Last Tuesday, NCSSM: Durham beat East Wake Academy 63-50. The Unicorns pushed the score to 49-23 by the end of the third, a deficit the Eagles cut but never quite recovered from.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday Wake Prep Academy sidestepped Falls Lake for a 49-47 victory. Given the Guardians' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 203rd, while the Firebirds are ranked 573rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Wake Prep Academy found their leader in sophomore Shawn Amadike, who went 6 for 10 en route to 17 points and three steals. Jermiah Hargrove was another key player, putting up four points and five boards.

Wake Prep Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive matches.

Wake Prep Academy's win was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-2. As for NCSSM: Durham, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 12-7.

NCSSM: Durham didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Wake Prep Academy when the teams last played back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 60-56 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for NCSSM: Durham since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.