The Franklin Academy Patriots will square off against the NCSSM: Durham Unicorns at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Franklin Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 15 matchups.
Last Tuesday, Franklin Academy humbled Research Triangle with a 77-36 victory. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Raptors: they've now won seven in a row.
Hayes Lewis
| 02/18/25 vs Research Triangle | 23 |
| 02/14/25 vs Raleigh Charter | 20 |
| 02/13/25 vs Falls Lake | 20 |
| 02/11/25 @ Wake Prep Academy | 24 |
| 02/07/25 @ Research Triangle | 15 |
| 02/05/25 vs Vance Charter | 18 |
Hayes Lewis and Aiden Henrie were among the main playmakers for Franklin Academy as the former went 10-for-17 en route to 23 points and three steals and the latter went 6-for-9 on his way to 14 points along with five assists and five boards. Lewis' evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Micah Rutledge, who posted eight points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.
They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Franklin Academy was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.
Meanwhile, NCSSM: Durham had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Guardians by a score of 68-60.
Franklin Academy better keep an eye on Ethann Burkett. He was instrumental in NCSSM: Durham's win, going 11-for-17 to rack up 34 points. Burkett continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Jay Peng was another key player, going 5-for-7 en route to 14 points and six assists.
NCSSM: Durham's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-8. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.1 points over those games. As for Franklin Academy, their record now sits at 20-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Franklin Academy has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.8 boards per game. However, it's not like NCSSM: Durham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Franklin Academy couldn't quite finish off NCSSM: Durham in their previous matchup on February 3rd and fell 61-59. Can Franklin Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
