The Ridgevue Warhawks will venture away from home to take on the Centennial Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Ridgevue has struggled recently with eight defeats in a row, while Centennial will arrive with three straight victories.
Last Tuesday, Ridgevue came up short against Eagle and fell 63-55. While the Warhawks didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Mustangs 18-9 in the first quarter.
Despite their loss, Ridgevue saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kaimana Nielson, who posted 16 points, was perhaps the best of all. Javonte Boles was another key player, putting up 13 points.
Meanwhile, Centennial beat Mountain View 71-63 last Friday.
Ridgevue better keep an eye on Gabe Eddins. He was instrumental in Centennial's win, going 11-for-18 en route to 31 points and seven boards. Eddins' evening made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Payton Knudson, who had 14 points.
Ridgevue's defeat dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Centennial, they pushed their record up to 13-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest-scoring teams around. Ridgevue hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 61 points per game. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've been averaging 69.4 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.
Ridgevue came out on top in a nail-biter against Centennial when the teams last played back in January, sneaking past 63-61. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Eddins, who went 11-for-21 on his way to 27 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Ridgevue still be able to contain Eddins? There's only one way to find out.
