Basketball Game Preview: Central Raiders vs. Belle Plaine Tigers

The Central Raiders will square off against the Belle Plaine Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Central took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Dassel-Cokato as Central made off with a 73-52 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Raiders have posted against the Chargers since December 9, 2016.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Belle Plaine). They breezed by Blue Earth to the tune of 91-57 on Tuesday. The victory was nothing new for the Tigers as they're now sitting on four straight.

Belle Plaine's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.0 points per game. As for Central, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Central ended up a good deal behind Belle Plaine in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, losing 83-66. Can Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.