Basketball Game Preview: Central Catholic Raiders vs. Manteca Buffaloes

The Central Catholic Raiders are taking a road trip to challenge the Manteca Buffaloes at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Friday, Central Catholic earned a 58-46 win over Oakdale. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Raiders.

Jordan Magana continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 10 for 19 on his way to 29 points along with five boards and three steals. Amari Waterford was another key player, putting up eight points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists.

Central Catholic smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Manteca unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell 67-55 to Willow Glen.

Central Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 11-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.1 points per game. As for Manteca, they now have a losing record at 10-11.

Central Catholic didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Manteca in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 57-51 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Central Catholic since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.