Basketball Game Preview: Columbus International Lions vs. Centennial Stars

Columbus International hasn't had much luck against Centennial recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Columbus International Lions will venture away from home to take on the Centennial Stars at 6:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Columbus International sitting on eight straight wins and Centennial on five.

Last Friday, Columbus International slipped by Whetstone 49-48.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Centennial on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Linden-McKinley out of the water with a 60-23 final score. The Stars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.

Centennial's win came from a few key players Columbus International will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kennedy Houston, who posted 21 points along with six steals and five assists. Her evening made it 18 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayla Houston, who scored 21 points in addition to six steals and five boards.

Centennial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Centennial pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 37.2 points. As for Columbus International, their win bumped their record up to 12-2.

Columbus International suffered a grim 72-52 defeat to Centennial when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can Columbus International avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.