Basketball Game Preview: Falls Lake Firebirds vs. Chatham Central Bears

The Falls Lake Firebirds will venture away from home to challenge the Chatham Central Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, Falls Lake didn't have quite enough to beat Wake Prep Academy and fell 49-47. While losing is never fun, the Firebirds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 584th, while the Guardians are ranked 190th).

Meanwhile, Chatham Central had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.3 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Wednesday. They really took it to the Wildcats for the full four quarters, racking up an 82-47 win. The Bears' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Falls Lake better focus on containing Brennen Oldham and Reid Albright as the pair were huge in Chatham Central's win. Oldham dropped a double-double on 31 points and 13 rebounds, while Albright almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine boards. The game was Albright's 16th in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Luke Gaines, who posted eight points and four steals.

Chatham Central pushed their record up to 17-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Falls Lake, they have also traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season.

Falls Lake ended up a good deal behind Chatham Central in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, losing 57-40. Can Falls Lake avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.