The Wakefield boys basketball team had a successful week, culminating in an impressive performance on Friday evening.

At the start of conference games, in front of a nearly full audience, Syncere Burnette drove down the lane with less than three minutes remaining. The standout senior pulled his right arm back and threw down an exciting dunk, representing the Wolverines’ 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Wakefield finished the game strong with a 21-8 scoring streak, ultimately winning 77-64 against Rolesville. Burnette led the team with a personal best of 30 points, while senior teammate Taj Boone-Chambers contributed 20 points and also had the most rebounds with 7.

In the first quarter, there was only one instance where a team had a lead of two possessions. Braylon Cheltenham’s three-point shot from the corner towards the end of the first quarter gave Rolesville a sudden 16-12 advantage. Burnette and Boone-Chambers contributed to a 9-2 run for Wakefield, but Life Lynch’s three-pointer at the buzzer tied the game at 21-21 going into the second quarter.

At the 3:11 mark in the second half, Tristian Pretlow made a three-point shot from the wing, giving the Wolverines a notable 33-29 lead. This lead of four points remained until halftime, with Burnette scoring with a mid-range shot to make the score 35-31.

The third quarter was dominated by back-and-forth scoring runs.

The Wolverines made their initial move with Colin Taylor sinking a three-pointer, followed by Burnette’s steal and slam, and Pretlow sealing the deal with another turnover from Rolesville. Wakefield’s 7-0 streak increased their lead to 48-39 in just 3:03 of the period.

Rolesville quickly responded, with Jayvon Chesnut scoring two baskets in under three minutes to decrease the Rams’ lead to two. This was part of a 10-3 run by Rolesville.

Michael Downing saved the Rams from a 56-50 deficit in the last 90 seconds of the third quarter by scoring a game-tying basket with 7.6 seconds remaining. However, the Wolverines quickly responded and Taylor’s shot gave Wakefield the lead, which they held onto until the end.

After Burnette made a sneaky move to pass to Boone-Chambers, the score changed from 58-56 to 69-60. Burnette then cleverly bounced the ball off a defender and scored a basket, while Caleb Hardy successfully maneuvered to the lane for two points.

Securing the 77-64 win helps Wakefield open Northern Athletic Conference play 1-0. Overall, the Wolverines are 13-2 and currently sit as one of the top-5 RPI teams in the 4A East. Next up is a trip to Wake Forest next Friday night.

The loss dropped Rolesville to a record of 5-8. The Rams will play again next Friday at Millbrook.

Before the game, Wakefield held a special event to celebrate its 2004 state championship-winning boys basketball team. Head coach Garrett Stevens, who was a player on the team, was joined by more than six other members of the group that won against R.J. Reynolds with a score of 48-46. Former head coach Tom Kinkelaar and NBA player Darius Johnson-Odom, who led the Wolverines to a title in 2006, were also present as part of the ceremony.

Wakefield Scoring:

• Burnette, 30
• Boone-Chambers, 20
• Pretlow, 12
• Taylor, 5
• Hardy, 5
• Ferrell, 3
• Tezyk, 2

Rolesville Scoring:

• Chesnut, 18
• Downing, 11
• Roberts, 8
• Lynch, 7
• Marshall, 7
• Wright, 6
• Cheltenham, 4

Source: highschoolot.com