Basketball Game Preview: Boaz Pirates vs. Albertville Aggies

Boaz hasn't had much luck against Albertville recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Boaz Pirates will be taking part in a tournament against the Albertville Aggies at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Boaz saw some tournament action on Monday. They blew past Brindlee Mountain 48-18. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 186th, while the Lions are ranked 388th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Albertville had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.3 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Monday. They walked away with a 59-51 win over the Wildcats.

Boaz better keep an eye on Lani Smallwood. She was instrumental in Albertville's win, going 11 for 23 on her way to 36 points and four steals. Smallwood's afternoon made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gracyn Robeson, who posted eight points.

Albertville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.

Albertville is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 21-3 record this season. As for Boaz, they now have a winning record of 11-10.

Boaz was dealt a bruising 65-34 defeat at the hands of Albertville when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can Boaz avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.