Basketball Game Preview: Centennial Golden Hawks vs. Bakersfield Drillers

The Centennial Golden Hawks are taking a road trip to face off against the Bakersfield Drillers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Centennial earned a 57-46 victory over Garces Memorial. Given the Golden Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 315th, while the Rams are ranked 706th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

It was another big night for Michael Gutierrez, who went 7 of 17 on his way to 19 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brendan Keefer-Johns, who posted five points along with 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Centennial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in 14 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bakersfield). They really took it to Highland for the full four quarters, racking up an 84-28 win. The Drillers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 21 points or more this season.

Centennial better keep an eye on Kade Johnson. He was instrumental in Bakersfield's win, going 9 for 14 en route to 20 points. The match was Johnson's third in a row with at least ten points. Rashaan Shehee was another key player, putting up nine points and five steals.

The victory was the third in a row for Bakersfield, bringing their record for this year to 17-8. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.0 points per game. As for Centennial, their record is now 14-10.

Centennial couldn't quite finish off Bakersfield when the teams last played on January 14th and fell 80-78. Can Centennial avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.