Preview: Central Golden Eagles vs. Springfield International
Two dominant guards in Jai-lyn Garvin-martin and Giavanna Mars are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Central Golden Eagles will head out on the road to square off against Springfield International at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Central is coming into the match hot, having won their last ten games.
Central put the finishing touches on their eighth blowout victory of the season on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 68-31 win over Longmeadow at home. Given Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while Longmeadow is ranked 34th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Alaysia Mondon, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mondon has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Angalece Quinones, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Springfield International's good fortune finally ran out back in January. The game between them and Central wasn't particularly close, with Springfield International falling 59-41. Springfield International found out winning isn't easy when you're outrebounded 23 to 12 on offense.
Springfield International's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Zahara Kibodya-Wilson, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and two steals, and Alexa Davis who scored 12 points along with four blocks and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Mars, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.
Central's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.4 points per game. As for Springfield International, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Springfield International struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Central strolled past Springfield International in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 59-41. Does Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Springfield International turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
