Basketball Game Preview: Raleigh Charter Phoenix vs. Franklin Academy Patriots

The Raleigh Charter Phoenix will face off against the Franklin Academy Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither Raleigh Charter nor Franklin Academy posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.

Raleigh Charter is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Wednesday. They lost 44-18 to Falls Lake. The Phoenix were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 26-5.

Meanwhile, Franklin Academy played a tough game on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Falls Lake, falling 40-16. The Patriots were down 37-14 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Raleigh Charter will have to keep a close watch on Emily Zeck and Iliana Rodriguez, a pair of players who had a big impact on Franklin Academy's prior game. Zeck posted seven points, while Rodriguez scored six points.

Raleigh Charter's defeat dropped their record down to 3-12. As for Franklin Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 12 matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 10-12 record this season.

Raleigh Charter lost to Franklin Academy on the road by a decisive 40-21 margin in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Franklin Academy's Rayne Bookhart, who put up 20 points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals. Now that Raleigh Charter knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.