The Research Triangle Raptors will be playing at home against the Franklin Academy Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Last Saturday, Research Triangle came up short against the Eagles and fell 62-53. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Research Triangle in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now lost three in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Cade Wiggins, who scored 20 points. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 16 or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Omar WIley, who scored 19 points.
Meanwhile, Franklin Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They claimed a resounding 78-31 victory over East Wake Academy at home. That looming 78-31 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Franklin Academy yet this season.
Research Triangle has not been sharp recently as the team's lost seven of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-9 record this season. As for Franklin Academy, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-8.
Research Triangle took a serious blow against the Patriots when the teams last played back in January, falling 71-31. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Franklin Academy's Hayes Lewis, who scored 18 points along with six rebounds. Now that Research Triangle knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
