Buchanan and Central are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2022, but not for long. The Buchanan Bears and the Central Grizzlies will meet on Friday for a tough Bear Battle. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Last Tuesday, Buchanan was beaten by Clovis 70-39. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 166th, while the Cougars are ranked 16th).
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Central's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They came up short against Clovis West, falling 78-53.
Buchanan will have to keep a close watch on Zyraeis Murphy and Chyna Roland, a pair of players who had a big impact on Central's prior game. Murphy went 6 of 8 on her way to 13 points and six boards, while Roland went 5 for 8 en route to 15 points. Murphy is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Leilah Haynes, who posted 11 points.
Buchanan's loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 12-13. As for Central, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-4.
Buchanan came up short against Central in their previous meeting on January 14th, falling 61-50. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Murphy, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. Now that Buchanan knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
