Basketball Game Preview: Cheraw Braves vs. North Central Knights

Cheraw and North Central are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Cheraw Braves are taking a road trip to take on the North Central Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Cheraw will be strutting in after a win while North Central will be coming in after a defeat.

On Saturday, Cheraw was able to grind out a solid victory over Scotland, taking the game 62-53. Given the Braves' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 210th in South Carolina, while the Fighting Scots are ranked 493rd in North Carolina), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, North Central was not able to break out of their rough patch back in December of 2024 as the team picked up their ninth straight loss dating back to last season. They came up short against York Prep, falling 40-20. The contest marked the Knights' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Cheraw's win bumped their record up to 5-7. As for North Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Cheraw came up short against North Central when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 73-68. Thankfully for Cheraw, Dylan Smith (who dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.