Basketball Game Preview: Sanderson Spartans vs. Knightdale Knights

Sanderson hasn't had much luck against Knightdale recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Sanderson Spartans will look to defend their home court against the Knightdale Knights at 6:00 p.m.

Sanderson is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 14th straight game dating back to last season back in December of 2024. They might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Millbrook an easy 45-21 victory. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 575th, while the Wildcats are ranked 156th).

Meanwhile, Knightdale came tearing into Friday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points) and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Cougars as they made off with a 68-43 win. The Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 25 points or more this season.

Knightdale's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.4 points per game. As for Sanderson, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-10.

Sanderson was dealt a bruising 65-24 loss at the hands of Knightdale in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Knightdale's Ja'Kiyah Moore, who dropped a triple-double on 17 points, ten boards, and ten assists. Now that Sanderson knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.