ZEBULON - The East Wake Academy High School boys' basketball team dropped to 0-2 on the season as Voyager Academy of Durham slipped past the Eagles 51-49 on Thursday.

A flurry of attempts in the final seconds failed to find the basket as the Vikings left the Zebulon crowd stunned and the Eagles in disbelief of the scoreboard.

"The passion displayed by our players tonight is something that has not been seen at East Wake Academy in a long time," Eagle head coach Miguel Bonano said. "The boys played hard and deserved to win the game, but missed layups cost us in the end."

Senior Jimmy Polito led EWA with 11 points and 4 assists, while Damarr McCarthy nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

The close contest with Voyager was a step up from the Eagles' first game of the season against Hobgood Academy on Nov. 15. The Hobgood Academy Raiders pulled away from the host Eagles in the third quarter, eventually winning 75-55.

The game started fast, with both teams trying to establish a run-and-gun offense that led to a series of quick fouls that put the Eagles in foul trouble early. At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders led by a mere point, 14-13.

After the halftime break, the Raiders came out strong, forcing crucial turnovers in a 22-point third quarter that left the Eagles down by 17 points.

The Eagles managed to work their way back into the game early in the fourth but were never able to get over the hump.

Polito led East Wake Academy with 16 points, with 12 coming from behind the arc. McCarthy contributed 11 points to the Eagle's effort and led the team with 9 rebounds.