Basketball Game Preview: Central Dragons vs. Penns Valley Area Rams

Central and Penns Valley Area are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Central Dragons will face off against the Penns Valley Area Rams at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Central has struggled recently with six defeats in a row, while Penns Valley Area will arrive with four straight wins.

On Friday, Central lost to Westmont Hilltop at home by a 44-29 margin. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 522nd, while the Hilltoppers are ranked 231st).

Meanwhile, Penns Valley Area beat Somerset 66-59 on Friday.

Penns Valley Area pushed their record up to 11-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Central, their loss dropped their record down to 2-15.

Central couldn't quite finish off Penns Valley Area when the teams last played back in December of 2024 and fell 43-40. Can Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.