Basketball Game Preview: Culver City Centaurs vs. Inglewood Sentinels

The Culver City Centaurs will face off against the Inglewood Sentinels at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Culver City took a loss when they played away from home last Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They enjoyed a cozy 76-58 win over Lawndale. Given the Centaurs' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while the Cardinals are ranked 313th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Inglewood entered their tilt with Hawthorne on Wednesday with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They breezed by the Cougars to the tune of 100-12. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 64-6.

Culver City better keep an eye on Jason Crowe Jr. He was instrumental in Inglewood's win, going 14 of 22 en route to 33 points in addition to eight assists and five rebounds. Crowe Jr's evening made it 19 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Cayim White was another key player, going 9 for 19 on his way to 26 points and three steals.

Inglewood was working as a unit and finished the game with 24 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Inglewood has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 87.3 points per game. As for Culver City, their victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-3.

Culver City came up short against Inglewood when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 65-60. Can Culver City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.