Basketball Game Preview: Champaign Central Maroons vs. Centennial Chargers

Champaign Central has gone 8-2 against Centennial recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Champaign Central Maroons are taking a road trip to take on the Centennial Chargers at 6:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Last Wednesday, Champaign Central ended up a good deal behind Springfield and lost 60-41. The Maroons have struggled against the Senators recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Despite the loss, Champaign Central got top-tier performance from Samara McArthur, who went 6 of 10 on her way to 15 points and five steals. Those 15 points gave McArthur a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Grace Bandy, who posted six points.

Meanwhile, Centennial played a tough matchup on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 59-11 defeat at the hands of Normal Community. The Chargers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 43-7.

Centennial has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last 11 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-12 record this season. As for Champaign Central, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.

Everything went Champaign Central's way against Centennial in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as Champaign Central made off with a 65-39 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Champaign Central since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.