Basketball Game Preview: Paul W. Bryant Stampede vs. Central Falcons

The Paul W. Bryant Stampede will square off against the Central Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

On Thursday, Paul W. Bryant humbled Bibb County with a 51-22 victory. Given the Stampede's advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Choctaws are ranked 265th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Central came tearing into Monday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 53-25 victory over the Panthers. The Falcons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 contests by 23 points or more this season.

Paul W. Bryant better focus on containing Lariah Spencer and Michal Steward as the pair were huge in Central's win. Spencer shot 4-for-5 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten boards, while Steward went 6 of 8 en route to 16 points and four steals. That's the most points Steward has posted since back in November of 2024.

Central has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.4 points per game. As for Paul W. Bryant, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 17-10.

Paul W. Bryant was able to grind out a solid victory over Central when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 48-35. Will Paul W. Bryant repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.