Basketball Recap: Make It Five in a Row for Central

Central waltzed into their contest on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 65-47 win over the Reagan Bison. The Rockets have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Bison, too.

Central had a senior duo take command as Keri Foster went 7 for 11 on his way to 22 points and seven rebounds and Marlon Gaitan went 5 of 8 on his way to 17 points and five assists. The game was Gaitan's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Willie Dye III, who posted nine points and seven rebounds.

Reagan's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mateo Balcarcel, who had seven points. What's more, Balcarcel also racked up four rebounds, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Ronal Hodelin was another key player, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Central's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.8 points per game. As for Reagan, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-4.

Central and Reagan should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings. Central (ranked 57th) will meet Atlantic (ranked 326th) at 10:15 a.m. on December 27th. Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 67.6 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Reagan (ranked 45th) will meet Coral Park (ranked 263rd) at 7:30 p.m. on January 10, 2025.