Basketball Game Preview: Rome Free Academy Black Knights vs. Whitesboro Warriors

The Rome Free Academy Black Knights will head out on the road to take on the Whitesboro Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Rome Free Academy's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Last Wednesday, Rome Free Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Oswego, but they still walked away with a 93-87 victory. Given the Black Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Bucs are ranked 237th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Uzziah Grimes continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 12 of 24 on his way to 31 points and three steals. The game was his fourth in a row with at least ten points. Deandre Neal was another key player, going 10 for 21 en route to 24 points and five rebounds.

Rome Free Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Meanwhile, Whitesboro posted their closest win since January 19, 2024 on Tuesday. They skirted past Oneida 71-69.

Whitesboro has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.8 points per game. As for Rome Free Academy, they pushed their record up to 12-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home.

Everything went Rome Free Academy's way against Whitesboro when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as Rome Free Academy made off with an 87-61 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rome Free Academy since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.