Basketball Game Preview: Peru Nighthawks vs. Saranac Spartans

Peru hasn't had much luck against Saranac recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Peru Nighthawks will head out to challenge the Saranac Spartans at 7:00 p.m.

Peru is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Wednesday. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 50-46 heartbreaker at the hands of Saranac Lake. While losing is never fun, the Nighthawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 778th, while the Red Storm are ranked 272nd).

Meanwhile, Saranac waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Patriots 46-26. The Spartans pushed the score to 41-16 by the end of the third, a deficit the Patriots cut but never quite recovered from.

Peru better keep an eye on Carson Duffield. He was instrumental in Saranac's win, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 14 boards. What's more, Duffield also racked up two steals, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Henry Napper, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds.

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

Saranac's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-8. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 25 points. As for Peru, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-15.

Things could have been worse for Peru, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 55-41 loss to Saranac in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Duffield, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 boards. Now that Peru knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.