Wakefield and Wake Forest are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2022, but not for long. The Wakefield Wolverines will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wake Forest Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wakefield is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.8 points per game this season.
Wakefield took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Wednesday. They came out on top against Franklinton by a score of 73-64. Given the Wolverines' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 135th, while the Red Rams are ranked 352nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wakefield's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ethan Wisler, who posted 14 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. Avery Hicks was another key player, going 5 for 7 en route to 14 points.
Wisler wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Wakefield was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklinton only racked up eight assists.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest lost 60-40 to Knightdale on Tuesday. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Knights recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Wakefield will have to keep a close watch on Palmer Chase and Darryl Knight, a pair of players who had a big impact on Wake Forest's prior game. Chase scored 15 points and six boards, while Knight had eight points. Those eight points gave Knight a new career-high.
Wakefield pushed their record up to 8-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Wake Forest, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wakefield has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Wake Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Wakefield against Wake Forest in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the squad secured an 87-60 victory. Will Wakefield repeat their success, or does Wake Forest have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
