Basketball Game Preview: Pine Tree Pirates vs. Cumberland Academy Knights

The Pine Tree Pirates will head out to square off against the Cumberland Academy Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Cumberland Academy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Pine Tree, who comes in off a win.

Pine Tree took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They strolled past Carthage with points to spare, taking the game 57-41. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 556th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 1294th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Cumberland Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They fell 54-46 to Gilmer.

Pine Tree has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-12 record this season. As for Cumberland Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-19.

Everything came up roses for Pine Tree against Cumberland Academy in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 71-35 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pine Tree since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.