Basketball Game Preview: Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons vs. Port Charlotte Pirates

Charlotte has gone 9-1 against Port Charlotte recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons are taking a road trip to take on the Port Charlotte Pirates at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Thursday, Charlotte strolled past Gateway with points to spare, taking the game 39-24. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Fightin' Tarpons.

Charlotte found their leader in sophomore Acelia Beals, who went 7 for 14 on her way to 19 points in addition to five boards and four steals. With that strong performance, Beals is now averaging an impressive 15.1 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrienne Harris, who posted eight points.

Charlotte smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Meanwhile, Port Charlotte waltzed into their contest on Monday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They walked away with a 44-35 victory over the Bobcats. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Bobcats are ranked 321st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Port Charlotte's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.0 points per game. As for Charlotte, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season.

Charlotte lost to Port Charlotte on the road by a decisive 56-41 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Can Charlotte avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.