Basketball Game Preview: Mount Miguel Matadors vs. Central Spartans

The Mount Miguel Matadors will face off against the Central Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Mount Miguel is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.5 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Mount Miguel earned a 59-46 victory over Sweetwater. That looming 59-46 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Matadors yet this season.

Hamad Elhamad had a dynamite game for Mount Miguel, going 13 for 15 on his way to 27 points and six rebounds. Elhamad's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jerome Radcliff, who posted 12 points.

Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 24-24 at halftime, Central was not quite Brawley's equal in the second half on Tuesday. They took a 52-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.

Loss or not, Central got some senior leadership from Daimaggio Wyatt and James Tovar. Wyatt dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten boards, while Tovar earned 15 points along with eight boards and six steals. Wyatt is becoming a predictor of Central's success: when he posts at least eight boards the team is 6-2 (and 2-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of David Lopez, who posted seven points.

Central has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-6 record this season. As for Mount Miguel, their win bumped their record up to 6-7.

Mount Miguel was dealt a bruising 79-31 defeat at the hands of Central in their previous meeting back in December of 2019. Can Mount Miguel avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.