Basketball Game Preview: Newark Central Blue Devils vs. East Side Red Raiders

The Newark Central Blue Devils will square off against the East Side Red Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with eight consecutive losses dating back to last season for Newark Central and three for East Side.

Newark Central is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against West Caldwell Tech on Saturday. Newark Central took a 52-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of West Caldwell Tech.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Yam'Bya Ndaw, who posted four points in addition to 11 rebounds and six blocks. Ndaw is crushing it when it comes to blocks: he's posted at least three every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Malachi Thomas, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 13 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, East Side was beaten by St. Benedict's Prep 78-50 on Thursday. While losing is never fun, the Red Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 207th, while the Gray Bees are ranked 32nd).

East Side's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Newark Central, their loss dropped their record down to 0-7.

Newark Central was able to grind out a solid victory over East Side in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 55-43. Will Newark Central repeat their success, or does East Side have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.