The Central Blue Devils pushed their score all the way to 71 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 86-71 bruising from Payne Tech. While losing is never fun, Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 212th, while Payne Tech is ranked 46th).
Malik Bass and Mejwad Dixon certainly did their best on Saturday to try and avoid the loss. Bass scored 24 points along with five rebounds and four steals, while Dixon scored 21 points. Another player making a difference was Drean Aikins, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Central struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Central has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost ten of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season. As for Payne Tech, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Central will take on East Side at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Payne Tech, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Columbia at 7:00 p.m. Columbia has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 175 points over their last three games.
