Basketball Game Preview: Central Grizzlies vs. Bakersfield Drillers

The Central Grizzlies will face off against the Bakersfield Drillers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They took their contest with ease, bagging an 81-50 victory over Tulare Western. The Grizzlies' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, everything went Bakersfield's way against Redwood on Saturday as Bakersfield made off with an 85-59 win. The Drillers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 21 points or more this season.

Bakersfield's win came from a few key players Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kade Johnson, who went 8-for-17 on his way to 21 points. His evening made it eight games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Dominic Contreras was another key player, going 6-for-9 en route to 17 points.

Bakersfield is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.8 points over those games. As for Central, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 18-12.

Things could have been worse for Central, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 69-52 loss to Bakersfield in their previous matchup back in February of 2019. Thankfully for Central, David Whatley (who almost dropped a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.