Basketball Game Preview: Alameda Pirates vs. William Smith Eagles

The Alameda Pirates will head out to challenge the William Smith Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. William Smith took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Alameda, who comes in off a win.

Alameda played against Jefferson and won via forfeit.

William Smith is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They lost to Twin Peaks Classical Academy on the road by a 80-64 margin. The Eagles were down 62-39 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Alameda will have to contain Jordan Osei as he made an impact in William Smith's last game. He went 13 of 17 to rack up 34 points and five steals. That was a full 53.1% of William Smith's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Avonte Holsey was another key player, almost dropping a double-double with nine points and ten rebounds.

Even though they lost, William Smith smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since the start of last season.

The win made it two in a row for Alameda and bumps their season record up to 3-12. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.5 points over those games. As for William Smith, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.

Everything went Alameda's way against William Smith in their previous matchup back in January, as Alameda made off with a 56-33 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Alameda since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.