Basketball Recap: Falls Lake Takes a Loss

Falls Lake lost against Franklin Academy back in January, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The matchup between the Falls Lake Firebirds and the Franklin Academy Patriots didn't end well, with the Falls Lake Firebirds falling 64-49. While losing is never fun, the Firebirds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 578th, while the Patriots are ranked 283rd).

Camden Cooke

Points

02/13/25 @ Franklin Academy	11
02/12/25 @ Raleigh Charter	9
02/10/25 @ East Wake Academy	8
02/06/25 @ Chatham Central	7
02/04/25 vs Wake Prep Academy	14
+ 17 more games

When it comes to explaining why Falls Lake lost, don't look at Camden Cooke. Despite the final result, he almost dropped a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. Cooke continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jonathan Taylor- Hamilton was another key player, going 6-for-13 to rack up 14 points and six rebounds.

Even though they lost, Falls Lake smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Hayes Lewis was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double with 20 points and nine boards for Franklin Academy. The game was Lewis' fourth in a row with at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Aiden Henrie, who posted 12 points and eight rebounds.

Falls Lake has been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 12 matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-17 record this season. The victory was the third in a row for Franklin Academy, bringing their record for this year to 18-8.

Falls Lake didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 66-39 defeat against NCSSM: Durham on the 17th. As for Franklin Academy, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 72-52 win against Raleigh Charter on the 14th.