Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 13 to 6 on the offensive boards, a fact the Durham Academy Cavaliers proved on Thursday. They had just enough and edged Wake Forest out 48-45. Given Durham Academy's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while Wake Forest is ranked 530th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for JJ Wilcox, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Joshua Dorsette II, who scored 15 points.
Kavon Simmons and Palmer Chase certainly did their best on Thursday to try and avoid the loss. Simmons scored 14 points along with four steals, while Chase scored nine points along with five rebounds and three blocks. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for him. Donald Coveleski was another key contributor, scoring five points along with five rebounds.
Durham Academy is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. As for Wake Forest, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-10.
Durham Academy won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Sanderson at 7:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Allowing an average of 55.2 points per game, Sanderson has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this contest. Wake Forest will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Green Hope at 12:30 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Green Hope is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 51.1 points per game.
