Wayne Prep boys win first ever game, girls fall short at Thales Academy
2 min read
It took tough defense and a fourth quarter comeback, but Wayne Prep is officially in the win column.
The Generals won their first basketball game in school history with a 67-61 road win over Thales Academy-Rolesville Tuesday. Head coach Anthony Wright was ecstatic and relieved that the seal was finally broken.
“It feels great,” he said after the game. “These boys have worked so hard for this moment and now we have to build on that.”
The win was a bounce back from Thursday’s 66-54 loss to Harrells Christian Academy.
Thales Academy (3-2) began the game on a 12-4 run before a 20-2 answer from the Generals (1-1). Sophomore Kayleb Coles paced Wayne Prep with 14 of his team-high 19 points in the first half.
“This is a big win for us,” Coles said. “We closed the game out strong and we played our hearts out.”
The road team led 33-23 at halftime, but the Knights stormed back to tie it halfway through the third. Wayne Prep took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but an 11-0 run from the hosts saw them go up by eight with 6:19 remaining.
That’s when freshman guard Jaquan Green began to spark the Generals’ comeback efforts. He scored seven of his 12 points in the final minutes including a three that put the Generals up 59-58 with two minutes left. After the Knights tied the game again, Green hit a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left and Coles’ steal and dunk sealed the game on the ensuing possession.
“We never kept our heads down,” Green said. “Even when we lost the lead, we kept pushing and we found a way. Our offense will come around, but we want to defend well every game.”
In the girls game, Wayne Prep certainly improved from their first outing, but did fall to the Knights, 49-37. The Generals (0-2) held a brief lead in the second quarter and defended well, but ultimately, the Knights (4-1) pulled away. A first win in school history still awaits for the girls team, but progress was made Tuesday night in Rolesville.
Wayne Prep travels to face in-county opponent Wayne Christian Thursday with the varsity girls game beginning at 5:30 PM. WJG SPORTS will be live-streaming both games on Youtube.
