Basketball Game Preview: Central Knights vs. Portsmouth Patriots

The Central Knights are taking a road trip to face off against the Portsmouth Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Bishop Hendricken, who was ranked third at the time (Central was ranked sixth). Central took a 72-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bishop Hendricken on Tuesday. The Knights' loss signaled the end of their six-game winning streak.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Lester Rodriguez, who posted 19 points. His evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. John Ramos was another key player, putting up 16 points.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Portsmouth's strategy against Times Squared Academy on Friday. Portsmouth put the hurt on Times Squared Academy with a sharp 75-54 win. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Patriots had established a 20 point advantage.

Having lost for the first time this season, Central fell to 6-1. As for Portsmouth, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-2.

Central might still be hurting after the 70-46 defeat they got from Portsmouth in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.