Basketball Game Preview: Charlottesville Black Knights vs. Albemarle Patriots

The Charlottesville Black Knights will square off against the Albemarle Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Charlottesville is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Western Albemarle just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They received a blow as they fell 56-42 to the Warriors. The contest marked the Black Knights' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Meanwhile, Albemarle entered their tilt with Monticello on Friday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They blew past the Mustangs, posting a 71-28 victory. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 43rd, while the Mustangs are ranked 186th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Albemarle's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.4 points per game. As for Charlottesville, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 6-5.

Charlottesville was taken down by Albemarle 83-54 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Charlottesville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.