Basketball Game Preview: Central Jaguars vs. Jay Royals

Central hasn't had much luck against Jay recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Central Jaguars will be playing at home against the Jay Royals at 7:30 p.m. Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.5 points per game this season.

Central is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Monday. They fell 77-65 to W.S. Neal. While losing is never fun, the Jaguars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 622nd in Florida, while the Eagles are ranked 214th in Alabama).

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Carson Baxley, who posted 17 points in addition to six assists and five steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brock Reeves, who went 6 for 10 on his way to 13 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Meanwhile, Jay had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They walked away with a 49-42 win over the Gators.

Jay pushed their record up to 7-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Central came up short against Jay when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 63-58. Will Central have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.