Preview: Central Cambria Red Devils vs. Penn Cambria Panthers
The Central Cambria Red Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Penn Cambria Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Central Cambria focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Monday.
Last Monday, things could have been worse for Central Cambria, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 55-41 loss to Westmont Hilltop. While losing is never fun, Central Cambria can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 290th, while Westmont Hilltop is ranked 82nd).
Despite their defeat, Central Cambria saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Connor Serenko, who scored 13 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Snyder, who scored 16 points.
Meanwhile, Penn Cambria's three-game losing streak came to an end on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 72-49 margin over Bishop McCort. The win was just what Penn Cambria needed coming off of a 66-37 loss in their prior matchup.
Penn Cambria's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brandon Rabish led the charge by scoring 17 points. Those 17 points set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Gavin Harrold, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Central Cambria has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season. As for Penn Cambria, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's matchup: Central Cambria have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 5.7 threes per game. It's a different story for Penn Cambria, though, as they've been averaging only 7.8 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Central Cambria came up short against Penn Cambria in their previous meeting on December 2nd, falling 64-53. Can Central Cambria avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
