Basketball Game Preview: Center Vikings vs. Cotopaxi Pirates

Having just played yesterday, the Center Vikings will head out on the road to face off against the Cotopaxi Pirates at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Center has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Cotopaxi will arrive with four straight wins.

On Friday, Center came up short against Del Norte and fell 42-33.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cotopaxi). They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Moffat 70-26. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 24 points or more this season.

Center better keep an eye on Terrance Evans. He was instrumental in Cotopaxi's win, going 12 for 15 on his way to 27 points in addition to eight boards and eight steals. What's more, Evans also posted a 80% shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Joel Tezak, who went 6 of 12 en route to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Cotopaxi smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive games.

Center's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 10-7. As for Cotopaxi, their record now sits at 10-3.

Center lost to Cotopaxi on the road by a decisive 58-43 margin when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Center avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.