Basketball Game Preview: Ardrey Kell Knights vs. Ballantyne Ridge Wolves

The Ardrey Kell Knights will venture away from home to square off against the Ballantyne Ridge Wolves at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ardrey Kell has three straight victories, Ballantyne Ridge has 15 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Ardrey Kell earned a 62-49 win over Cuthbertson. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Cavaliers are ranked 182nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Ardrey Kell to victory, but perhaps none more so than Braden Suggs, who went 6 of 8 en route to 17 points and four steals. Those four steals gave Suggs a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryceton Thomas, who went 5 for 6 on his way to 15 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Ballantyne Ridge played a tough contest on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They lost 72-46 to Central. The Wolves were down 51-28 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Ardrey Kell's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-3. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for Ballantyne Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 2-17.

Everything came up roses for Ardrey Kell against Ballantyne Ridge in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 65-21 win. In that match, Ardrey Kell amassed a halftime lead of 36-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.