Basketball Game Preview: Fort Dorchester Patriots vs. Berkeley Stags

Fort Dorchester and Berkeley are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. The Fort Dorchester Patriots will face off against the Berkeley Stags at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Fort Dorchester is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.2 points per game this season.

Having struggled with three losses in a row, Fort Dorchester turned things around against Woodland on Saturday. They skirted past the Wolverines 61-59. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Patriots have posted since February 6, 2024.

Maricious Dawson

Assists (Career)

01/04/25 @ Woodland	8
12/20/24 vs Easley	5
12/13/24 vs Colleton County	4
12/03/24 @ Military Magnet Academy	4
12/14/24 @ White Knoll	3

Fort Dorchester can attribute much of their success to Maricious Dawson, who posted 11 points along with eight assists and six boards, and Maurice Cannon, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 18 points and five rebounds. The dominant performance gave Dawson a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaden Polite, who had seven points.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Fort Dorchester was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, after a string of 11 wins, Berkeley's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 54-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of Summerville. The match marked the Stags' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Fort Dorchester's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-7. As for Berkeley, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-2.

Fort Dorchester came up short against Berkeley in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 62-52. Can Fort Dorchester avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.