Basketball Game Preview: Center Cougars vs. Marysville Indians

The Center Cougars will challenge the Marysville Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Friday, Center was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 60-59 to Bear River.

Center's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Andy McLear, who posted 28 points, and Tima Makovey, who earned 17 points and six boards. The contest was McLear's fourth in a row with at least ten points.

Meanwhile, Marysville waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 69-60.

Center better keep an eye on Dennis Syders. He was instrumental in Marysville's win, going 7 for 9 on his way to 15 points. Those 15 points gave Syders a new career-high. Chevy Cadena was another key player, putting up nine points.

Center dropped their record down to 9-14 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Marysville, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Center has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 39.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Marysville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Center came up short against Marysville in their previous meeting back in January, falling 86-75. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Marysville's Jordan Brooks, who almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. Now that Center knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.