Sanderson and Knightdale are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2016, but not for long. The Sanderson Spartans will be home for the holidays to greet the Knightdale Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Sanderson's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Friday after their third straight loss. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 64-63 to Heritage. That's two games in a row now that Sanderson has lost by exactly a single point.
The losing side was boosted by Nathan Fife, who scored 23 points along with five steals. He scored a full 36.5% of Sanderson's points, the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kendrick Pulley, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Knightdale didn't have too much trouble with East Wake on the road on Friday as they won 71-57. Given Knightdale's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 109th, while East Wake is ranked 359th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Knightdale's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brandon Adams, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for him. Khaim Taylor was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with six rebounds.
Sanderson's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Knightdale, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Sanderson have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 21.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Knightdale, though, as they've been averaging only 34.1 rebounds per game. Given Sanderson's sizeable advantage in that area, Knightdale will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sanderson beat Knightdale 53-44 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Does Sanderson have another victory up their sleeve, or will Knightdale turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
