Basketball Game Preview: Ridgeland Titans vs. Warren Central Vikings

The Ridgeland Titans will challenge the Warren Central Vikings at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Warren Central will be up against a hot Ridgeland team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Ridgeland skirted past Northwest Rankin 52-49. Given the Titans' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Cougars are ranked 74th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Phil Nelson, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 20 points. Another player making a difference was Marquis Williams, who posted nine points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Warren Central came into Tuesday's game having lost eight straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 64-61 victory over Neshoba Central on Tuesday.

Ridgeland has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 24-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.9 points per game. As for Warren Central, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-16.

Ridgeland was able to grind out a solid victory over Warren Central in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 74-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ridgeland since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.