5 Biggest Takeaways from Durham Academy vs. Wesleyan Christian

Jay Anderson November 23, 2019 @ 11:01 AM

<p>The Durham Academy Cavaliers got their sixth victory of the season on Friday night with a 68-56 win over the Wesleyan Christian Trojans. Here's a look at the five biggest takeaways from the game.</p> <h5>M.J. Rice slowly becoming more of a complete player</h5> <p>2022 guard <strong>M.J. Rice</strong> looked a lot more patient in their offense and it showed in the end results: A win and a 17-point performance on 12 shots. Rice played a pivotal role in the victory but not by taking all the shots, instead playing as an anchor on defense and drawing attention with the ball in his hands on offense. With 17 points and eight rebounds, Rice and Durham Academy found a way to get a convincing win against a very talented team. </p> <h5>Cole Sinclair is finding his rhythm</h5> <p>2021 guard<strong> Cole Sinclair</strong> is starting to find his rhythm in the rotation as well. He scored 23 points on 4 made 3-pointers and a number of plays going to the rim. He brings a different dynamic to the Durham Academy backcourt with his ability to score on all three levels and handle the ball. If he can find his consistency on offense, the Cavaliers will be one tough team to stop down the stretch.</p> <h5>Nik Graves controls the pace very well</h5> <p><strong>Nik Graves</strong> is only a sophomore but he's showing already in the early stages of his career that he has the ability to control the pace at all times on both ends. He got his team going early with a steal and score after dishing out an assist and from there, his squad never wavered. He finished with eight points, five assists and four rebounds, going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line as well.</p> <h5>Josh Wiggins needs more touches for Wesleyan</h5> <p>Josh Wiggins was a big reason why Wesleyan Christian was in the game during the early stages with his activity on the offensive glass, but it seems down the stretch, the team went away from him. Granted, 2021 point guard <strong>Aisaiah Phillips</strong> led the team in scoring with 14 points but as the point guard, that's easy with the ball in your hands most of the time. In the first quarter, six different players scored for Wesleyan Christian. After that, things slowly began to slip away for the Trojans.</p> <h5>Adjustments were made but execution was an issue</h5> <p>The Trojans made some adjustments in the second half but they just couldn't seem to execute down the stretch. 2021 guard <strong>Kade Darr</strong> finished with nine points but he went scoreless in the fourth quarter. As the Cavaliers controlled the pace, the Trojans struggled in the halfcourt to find offense. In the fourth quarter, they were outscored 17-11. They put senior forward <strong>Kaleb Brooks</strong> in the post, but after getting fouled once in the paint and getting to the free-throw line, things went away from him, too. Brooks finished with seven points in the game.</p>