RALEIGH — Wakefield’s boys basketball team put itself in second place for the NAC 6 conference after a 60-50 win at Wake Forest on Feb. 2 and a 58-54 win over Rolesville at home Feb. 5.
In the first game at Wake Forest, Wakefield jumped ahead to 13-5 to start off the match and extended that advantage to 21-6. The Cougars added a free throw to end the first quarter with a margin of 21-7.
Wake Forest improved offensively in the second quarter, but Wakefield managed to score 13 points to keep itself ahead 34-23 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Wake Forest cut the lead to a single-digit margin at 49-40. In the fourth quarter, the Cougars tried to make a comeback, but the Wolverines held strong to win 60-50.
Wakefield head coach Garrett Stevens said he liked how the guys responded following a 58-47 loss at Rolesville the night before.
“We showed a lot more toughness than we did the night before at Rolesville,” Stevens said. “Our guys stayed focused defensively and did a good job competing on the boards.”
Wakefield had balanced scoring all over the roster. Stevens said two players stood out in particular against Wake Forest.
“Hayden Doebler hit some shots with 12 points, but also had nine rebounds and five blocks, which were huge for us,” Stevens said. “Carson Cryer also did a great job running the team with eight assists and only one turnover. He also had 4 points and two steals.”
A couple of other Wakefield players who had a decent night at Wake Forest was Jaxon Brown with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists. Elija Preddy also hit three 3-pointers and grabbed three rebounds.
After that win, Wakefield went back home to have a rematch with Rolesville. The Wolverines started off on the right foot with a 15-8 run and a 17-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Rams outscored the Wolverines 13-11. However, Wakefield went into halftime up 28-26.
Things got more interesting in the third quarter. Rolesville took its first lead of the game at 30-28. The lead switched back and forth three times after that. Cryer made a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Wolverines a 42-38 lead at the end of the period.
In the fourth quarter, the lead changed eight times. Neither team could pull away with a big run. The biggest moment of the night happened when Wakefield’s Kalen Harris made a 3-point shot to give his team a 56-54 lead with 43 seconds left in the game.
Rolesville tried to score on the following drive, but missed and Wakefield came down with the rebound. Brown made both free throws for the Wolverines with 27 seconds left to make it 58-54.
The Rams missed another scoring opportunity and Wakefield dribbled out the game with a win.
“It was great to see us win like that,” Stevens said. “Aside from Jaxon, most of these guys haven’t been in that position in the past. To see them step up when needed was obviously huge in getting the win and hopefully that confidence will carry over to next week.”
Brown finished the game with 13 points, seven assists, two steals and two rebounds. Stevens praised his junior captain for his leadership on the court.
“Jaxon’s ability to get in the paint and create opportunities for his himself and his teammates really stood out,” Stevens said. “We’ve put a lot more on his shoulders this year and he’s doing a great job stepping up to the challenge.”
Preddy also had another great game with 13 points, two rebounds and an assist. Cryer scored 10 points and registered three assists, a steal and a rebound.
With the win, Wakefield improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in NAC 6 conference play. The Wolverines are behind first-place Heritage. The two rivals will square off in back-to-back games Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at Heritage and Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. at Wakefield.
The winner of the second game might determine the NAC 6 conference champion.
“It’s going to be tough playing against Heritage in back-to-back games,” Stevens said. “They are playing really well. We’ve got a couple days to prepare and our guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now. We’ll continue to stress playing hard, competing on the defensive side, and trying to get great shots.”
Wakefield’s next game after its matches with Heritage will be Friday, Feb. 12, against Corinth Holders at home at 7 p.m.
