Central has been on the road for five straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Holtville Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Tuesday, Central was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 51-47 to Palo Verde Valley. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Central in their matchups with Palo Verde Valley: they've now lost five in a row.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Julianna Estrada, who scored five points along with six assists and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Victoria Zamora, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, Holtville's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Tuesday after their third straight defeat. They took a serious blow against Imperial, falling 41-14. While losing is never fun, Holtville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 1097th, while Imperial is ranked 511th).
Loss or not, Holtville got some senior leadership from Vanessa Gonzalez and Jasmine Garewal. Gonzalez scored seven points along with 16 rebounds and six blocks, while Garewal. scored seven points along with 14 rebounds and three blocks. Garewal hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for 17 straight games.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Holtville struggled to work together and finished the game with only three assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Imperial posted 13 assists.
Central has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-14 record this season. As for Holtville, their loss dropped their record down to 7-15.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Holtville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 41.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Central against Holtville when the teams last played back in January as the team secured a 55-21 victory. Does Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Holtville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
