Basketball Game Preview: Calipatria Hornets vs. Central Spartans

The Calipatria Hornets are taking a road trip to square off against the Central Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Calipatria has three straight wins, Central has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Calipatria is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since December 21, 2024 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Calexico, sneaking past 52-49. The win was all the more spectacular given the Hornets' disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 821st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 408th).

Meanwhile, Central came up short against Vincent Memorial on Thursday and fell 71-62. That's two games in a row now that the Spartans have lost by exactly nine points.

The victory got Calipatria back to even at 9-9. As for Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-10.

Calipatria came up short against Central in their previous meeting two weeks ago, falling 65-54. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Central's Daimaggio Wyatt, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 20 points in addition to seven rebounds and three blocks. Now that Calipatria knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.