Basketball Game Preview: Central A & M Raiders vs. Meridian Hawks

The Central A & M Raiders will square off against the Meridian Hawks at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 66-24, which was the final score in Central A & M's tilt against Clinton on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 487th, while the Maroons are ranked 166th).

Meanwhile, Meridian came up short against Tuscola on Tuesday and fell 50-41.

Meridian's defeat dropped their record down to 13-10. As for Central A & M, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-15 record this season.

Central A & M came up short against Meridian in their previous meeting on January 9th, falling 49-36. Can Central A & M avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.