Basketball Recap: North Johnston Comes Up Short

North Johnston was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They took a 55-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Franklin Academy Patriots. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Panthers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 72-35 two weeks ago.

When it comes to explaining why North Johnston lost, don't look at Kaleb Pone. Despite the final result, he went 8 of 14 en route to 19 points. Pone's evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ben Cuddington, who posted six points and five boards.

Panthers

Offensive Rebounds

12/28/23 vs Vance Charter	16
02/06/24 vs Beddingfield	16
12/15/23 @ South Granville	13
01/30/24 vs Princeton	12
01/14/25 @ Franklin Academy	11

Even though they lost, North Johnston smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Hayes Lewis continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Franklin Academy, going 6 for 13 on his way to 21 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Leonard Akajo also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.

North Johnston's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Franklin Academy, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 11-5.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. North Johnston has already played their next game (against Beddingfield), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Franklin Academy will welcome Wake Prep Academy at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Wake Prep Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Franklin Academy likes a good challenge.