Basketball Game Preview: Marysville Indians vs. Center Cougars

The Marysville Indians will venture away from home to take on the Center Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Marysville's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last ten games.

Last Friday, Marysville beat Oakmont 69-60.

Dennis Syders

Points (Career)

01/31/25 @ Oakmont	15
12/14/24 vs Las Plumas	14
01/13/25 vs Center	13
12/03/24 @ Chico	12
12/19/24 vs Cosumnes Oaks	12

Dennis Syders was the offensive standout of the matchup as he went 7 of 9 en route to 15 points. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Chevy Cadena, who posted nine points.

Meanwhile, Center was just a bucket shy of victory on Friday and fell 60-59 to Bear River.

Marysville will have to keep a close watch on Andy McLear and Tima Makovey, a pair of players who had a big impact on Center's prior game. McLear put up 28 points, while Makovey scored 17 points and six rebounds. The contest was McLear's fourth in a row with at least ten points.

Center has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-14 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.1 points per game. As for Marysville, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Marysville has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Marysville was able to grind out a solid victory over Center when the teams last played back in January, winning 86-75. The rematch might be a little tougher for Marysville since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.