Central is 9-1 against Crystal River since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Central Bears will be playing at home against the Crystal River Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Central will be looking to keep their 18-game home win streak alive.
Even though Weeki Wachee scored an imposing 60 points on Saturday, Central still came out on top. Central took down Weeki Wachee 79-60. Given Central's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while Weeki Wachee is ranked 606th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jeroen "jd" Watson, who scored 23 points along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Watson is absolutely dominating the block category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Tykel Williams, who scored 23 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Crystal River pushed their score all the way to 60 on Monday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They lost to Dunnellon at home by a decisive 75-60 margin. Crystal River has not had much luck with Dunnellon recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Crystal River's loss came about despite a quality game from Zachary Hamilton, who scored 21 points along with five assists and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hamilton has scored all season. Ej Jenkins was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-4 record this season. As for Crystal River, their loss dropped their record down to 7-11.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Central have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Crystal River, though, as they've been averaging only 32.3 rebounds per game. Given Central's sizeable advantage in that area, Crystal River will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Central against Crystal River in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 79-33 victory. With Central ahead 55-18 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
