The Natchitoches Central Chiefs came tearing into Tuesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Winnfield 67-64. Given Natchitoches Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 15th, while Winnfield is ranked 80th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Several Tigers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Decavian Duncan, who scored 20 points. The match was Duncan's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jaylon Jackson, who scored ten points along with eight steals and six rebounds.
Natchitoches Central's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1. As for Winnfield, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season.
Natchitoches Central will head out on the road to face off against Anacoco at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Winnfield will be home for the holidays to greet Caldwell Parish at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
