Basketball Game Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Saugus Centurions

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Saugus Centurions will round out the year against one another at at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cleveland is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.2 points per game this season.

Cleveland picked up another tournament win last Thursday. They blew past Marshall 58-26. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland found their leader in freshman Melanie Paz, who went 7 of 16 on her way to 15 points in addition to six boards and six steals. Paz also set a new season-high mark in assists with five. Another player making a difference was Izabella Maloumian, who posted seven points and four steals.

Cleveland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 26 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Saugus won against Pacifica on Friday with 48 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Saturday. Saugus strolled past San Luis Obispo with points to spare, taking the game 48-31. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Centurions' disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 460th, while the Tigers are ranked 100th).

Cleveland's win bumped their record up to 2-4. As for Saugus, their victory bumped their record up to 4-7.

Cleveland didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Saugus in their previous meeting back in December of 2016, but they still walked away with a 51-46 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Saugus' MARYROSE ELIAS, who put up 25 points. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Cleveland to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.