Basketball Game Preview: Lincoln Fighting Zebras vs. Center Cougars

The Lincoln Fighting Zebras will square off against the Center Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lincoln has five straight victories, Center has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Wednesday, in a tight match that could have gone either way, Lincoln made off with a 61-60 win over Marysville.

Meanwhile, Center lost to Mira Loma at home by a 61-47 margin on Wednesday.

Lincoln will need focus on slowing down Andy McLear, one of several Center players who made an impact when they last played. He posted 20 points. McLear has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Nathan Nelson, who had seven points in addition to 12 rebounds and five assists.

Lincoln is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.7 points per game. As for Center, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-12.

Lincoln beat Center 68-60 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was McLear, who put up 21 points and three blocks. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Lincoln still be able to contain McLear? There's only one way to find out.