ZEBULON - The East Wake Academy boys basketball team lost a home game against Roxboro Community School last Wednesday, but had no problems winning on the road against Neuse Charter School on Thursday.

The Eagles (4-4, 2-1) are actually still searching for their first home win of the season, while they’ve won all four of their games played on the road.

The road wasn’t a disadvantage Thursday as the Eagles found smooth sailing in Smithfield in a 65-38 win over the Cougars.

Neuse Charter both surprised and frustrated the Eagles with its quickness and never-say-die attitude, but the Eagles held maintained composure for the big win.

Eagle sophomore Terrance McCarthy led the team with 17 points, including shooting 2-for-2 from behind the arc. He also added six rebounds to the team high 45 rebounds in the game.

Seniors Jimmy Polito and Damarr McCarthy added 9 and 8 points, respectively. The Eagles saw a number of different players score. That’s becoming a habit for the Eagle team.

“Coming off of a tough loss against Roxboro, we tried to come here tonight to fix the mistakes made,” East Wake Academy head coach Miguel Bonano said. “We did not fix all of them, made some different mistakes, but as a team we played much better. The guys made a second half adjustment and started playing a lot better. A win is a win and I am proud of the guys.”

The Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead right out of the gate, but the Cougars fought back to within 2 points late in the first quarter. The Eagles then went on to finish strong in the first half, amassing a 34-15 lead by the halftime break.

The Eagles looked for their first home win Wednesday as they rode a three-game winning streak into the game against the Roxboro Community School Bulldogs, but turnovers prevented the opportunity and Roxboro took advantage in an 83-62 win.

The action started off fast with both teams scoring 20-plus points in the first quarter. But the second quarter sealed the fate of the Eagles after several costly turnovers boosted the 1-point Bulldog advantage at the end of the first quarter to a 16-point lead at the half.

After the break Bulldogs came out flat, allowing the Eagles to score a few quick baskets but regrouped quickly. Again, the Bulldog pressure forced turnovers as Roxboro maintained its edge until time expired.

East Wake Academy head coach Bonano said the game was lost in the second quarter.

“We were in the game up until the second quarter turnovers, which lead to frustration,” Bonano said. “Frustrated players and basketball do not mix well and it cost us the game.”

Senior Jimmy Polito added drained four 3-pointers against Roxboro. Polito had hit his target 15 times from behind the arc the season as of the loss.

Polito led the Eagles in scoring with 14 points. Senior Damarr McCarthy and sophomore brother, Terrance, combined to add 10 points, seven rebounds and a block. Senior Nate Avery went 4-5 from the field, tallying 8 points in what the coach said was a decent shooting effort from the Eagles against the Bulldogs.

“We shot the ball well,” Bonano said. “Whenever we secured the ball and got into the offense a little, we managed to convert our chances. We need to work on a few things, learn from the mistakes we made tonight and do better next time.”