Basketball Game Preview: Philip Barbour Colts vs. Preston Knights

Philip Barbour and Preston are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Philip Barbour Colts will venture away from home to take on the Preston Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Philip Barbour comes in on three and Preston on four.

Philip Barbour is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Liberty 72-23 on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Philip Barbour relied on the efforts of Finley Carpenter, who went 5 of 11 en route to 12 points along with six assists and four steals, and Izzy Knotts, who went 5 for 9 on her way to 10 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. Knotts is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last five games she's played. Taitem Jeffries was another key player, putting up six points and seven boards.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Philip Barbour was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in January of 2024.

Meanwhile, Preston earned a 42-32 win over Robert C. Byrd on Wednesday.

Preston's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-8. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.3 points per game. As for Philip Barbour, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 6-6 record this season.

Philip Barbour strolled past Preston in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 by a score of 52-36. The rematch might be a little tougher for Philip Barbour since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.