Basketball Game Preview: Goshen Central Gladiators vs. Washingtonville Wizards

Goshen Central is 2-8 against Washingtonville since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Goshen Central Gladiators will venture away from home to face off against the Washingtonville Wizards at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Goshen Central hadn't beaten Warwick on the road since December 14, 2016 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. Goshen Central managed a 55-51 win over Warwick. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Gladiators.

Meanwhile, Washingtonville had already won 11 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.3 points) and they went ahead and made it 12 last Monday. They took down the Gladiators 52-38. Given the Wizards' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 147th, while the Gladiators are ranked 418th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Goshen Central better keep an eye on Matthew Rodriguez. He was instrumental in Washingtonville's win, going 5-for-9 to rack up 14 points and four steals. Those 14 points gave Rodriguez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Aidan Sullivan, who shot 40% from the field on his way to 12 points and three steals.

Washingtonville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Washingtonville's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-3. As for Goshen Central, their win bumped their record up to 11-9.

Things could have been worse for Goshen Central, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 52-38 loss to Washingtonville in their previous matchup last Monday. Can Goshen Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.