Basketball Game Preview: Pearl Pirates vs. Florence Eagles

The Pearl Pirates will venture away from home to face off against the Florence Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Pearl took a 22-point defeat the last time they faced off against Oak Grove, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. It was close, but the Pirates ultimately received the gift of a 32-30 victory from a begrudging Pirates squad. While they didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Florence had already won 12 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.1 points) and they went ahead and made it 13 on Tuesday. They blew past the Tigers 63-30. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 28 points or more this season.

Pearl's win bumped their record up to 8-5. As for Florence, their victory bumped their record up to 13-1.

Pearl might still be hurting after the 38-16 loss they got from Florence when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.