Basketball Game Preview: Piedmont Panthers vs. Union Academy Cardinals + How To Watch

The Piedmont Panthers will face off against the Union Academy Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

As a matter of fact, Piedmont put up the most points they have all season on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 78-59 victory over Parkwood. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.

Bennett Church

Points

11/18/25 vs Ballantyne Ridge	7
11/21/25 @ Carson	8
11/24/25 vs South Stanly	17
11/25/25 vs Parkwood	20

Piedmont had a senior duo take command as Bennett Church shot 4-for-5 from long range and dropped a double-double with 20 points and ten assists and Bryan Little dropped a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Church has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Staton, who made all 5 shots he took for 11 points and six boards.

Piedmont was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Union Academy was able to grind out a solid win over South Rowan last Friday, taking the game 56-48.

Union Academy's win came from a few key players Piedmont will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Owen Haggarty, who posted 16 points. Haggarty is also crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Elijah Shine, who went 5-for-7 to rack up 12 points and three steals.

The victory got Piedmont back to even at 2-2. As for Union Academy, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Piedmont has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Union Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 21.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Piedmont beat Union Academy 53-45 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.