Basketball Recap: Central Comes Up Short

After flying high against Fairfax last Monday, Central came back down to earth. The Central Bobcats were just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 58-57 to the Carl Hayden Community Falcons. The Bobcats haven't had much luck with the Falcons recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.

When it comes to explaining why Central lost, don't look at Eric Butler. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 13 points and 17 boards. Butler has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. Another player making a difference was Grant Mattingly, who posted ten points and six assists.

Central's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-2. As for Carl Hayden Community, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 9-3.

Central and Carl Hayden Community should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings. Central (ranked 48th) will meet Metro Tech (ranked 308th) at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 71.9 points per game this season. Similarly, Carl Hayden Community (ranked 57th) will meet Alhambra (ranked 294th) at 6:30 p.m. on January 9, 2025.