Preview: Pueblo Central Wildcats vs. Pueblo Centennial Bulldogs
Pueblo Central is 10-0 against Pueblo Centennial since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Pueblo Central Wildcats will head out on the road to challenge the Pueblo Centennial Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Pueblo Central will be strutting in after a victory while Pueblo Centennial will be coming in after a defeat.
On Tuesday, Pueblo Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Pueblo East, taking the game 56-43. Given Pueblo Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 79th, while Pueblo East is ranked 223rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pueblo Central's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Ladamien Davis, who scored 14 points along with nine steals and five rebounds, and Xavier Davis, who scored 22 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Davis is absolutely dominating the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Luke Beltran, who scored five points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Pueblo Centennial lost to Pueblo South on the road by a decisive 63-45 margin on Friday. Pueblo Centennial has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their defeat, Pueblo Centennial saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Landen Lenn, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. That's the first time this season that Lenn scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Adyn Jara, who scored nine points.
Pueblo Central's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Pueblo Centennial, they now have a losing record at 6-7.
Pueblo Central took their win against Pueblo Centennial in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a conclusive 58-37. Does Pueblo Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pueblo Centennial turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
