Preview: Central Raiders vs. Udall Eagles
The Central Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Udall Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Central is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Central stacked a sixth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 50-27 margin over Flinthills. Given Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 137th, while Flinthills is ranked 318th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Udall's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their seventh straight loss. They lost to West Elk on the road by a decisive 52-36 margin. Udall found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and post eight fewer assists than your opponent.
Despite the defeat, Udall had strong showings from Jenson Harness, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Isaac Johnson, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and three blocks. That was a full 52.8% of Udall's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3-1 record this season. As for Udall, they have been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season.
Central took their win against Udall in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 56-32. The rematch might be a little tougher for Central since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
