Basketball Game Preview: Central Bobcats vs. Pinnacle Pioneers

The Central Bobcats will venture away from home to face off against the Pinnacle Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Central's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 13 matches.

Last Wednesday, everything came up roses for Central against Washington as the squad secured an 81-36 win. The Bobcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 26 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle lost to Basha at home by a 66-50 margin on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Pioneers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 89th, while the Bears are ranked seventh).

Central's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35.4 points. As for Pinnacle, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season.

Central came up short against Pinnacle in their previous matchup back in November of 2017, falling 59-50. Thankfully for Central, Nico Mannion (who posted 19 points along with eight assists and eight boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.