Basketball Game Preview: Central Indians vs. Alliance Bulldogs

The Central Indians and the Alliance Bulldogs will compete for holiday cheer at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Saturday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Central beat Evanston 48-44. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Indians.

Meanwhile, Alliance entered their tilt with Torrington on Tuesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with a 63-54 victory over the Trailblazers. While the Bulldogs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Alliance pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Central, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.

Central ended up a good deal behind Alliance when the teams last played back in January of 2019, losing 67-53. Thankfully for Central, Mason Hiemstra (who posted 24 points along with six steals and five boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.