Basketball Game Preview: Balboa Roughriders vs. Southern Coast Academy National Rams

The Balboa Roughriders will square off against the Southern Coast Academy National Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Balboa is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Prince George's Christian Academy, who was ranked 23rd in their home state at the time (Balboa was ranked 23rd). Balboa was the clear victor by a 78-54 margin over Prince George's Christian Academy on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Roughriders.

Balboa's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Vito Albanese led the charge by going 6 for 13 on his way to 19 points in addition to six boards and three steals. That's the most steals Albanese has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Musonda, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 21 points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Southern Coast Academy National). They came out on top against Westminster Academy by a score of 96-88 on Saturday.

Balboa's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-16. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 25.5 points. As for Southern Coast Academy National, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season.

Balboa came up short against Southern Coast Academy National in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 79-69. Can Balboa avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.