Basketball Recap: Center Now 9-3 over Last 12 Games

Center won the last time they faced Palestine and things went their way on Tuesday too. The Center Roughriders secured a 65-59 W over the Palestine Wildcats. Given the Roughriders' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 263rd, while the Wildcats are ranked 664th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Travis (TJ) Belin Jr

Steals

02/04/25 @ Palestine	2
01/31/25 vs Rusk	4
01/28/25 @ Bullard	2

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Center to victory, but perhaps none more so than Travis (TJ) Belin Jr, who posted 15 points and eight boards. Belin Jr has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Jimmarion (JA) Smith was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Center smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 28 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 14 consecutive matches.

Palestine lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Thomas Edwards, who went 6 of 8 en route to 13 points and six boards. What's more, Edwards also racked up three assists, the most he's had since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ashton Cook, who scored nine points and four steals.

Center has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.8 points over those games. As for Palestine, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 13-16.

Center wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 55-38 win against Hudson on the 7th. As for Palestine, they have also already played their next match, a 65-47 defeat against Madisonville on the 7th.