Basketball Game Preview: Cholla Chargers vs. Empire Ravens

Cholla is 8-0 against Empire since December of 2014 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Cholla Chargers will welcome the Empire Ravens at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Cholla's favor as the team sits on five straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Empire has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.

Back in December of 2024, Cholla didn't have too much trouble with Poston Butte as they won 68-49. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Broncos are ranked 269th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Cholla's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cyree Jenkins, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 21 points. Jenkins' evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Payne, who went 7 for 14 on his way to 19 points and five assists.

Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks on offense in their last three matchups, Empire finally came back down to earth on Friday. They took a 46-30 bruising from Alchesay. The game marked the Ravens' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Cholla's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Empire, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.

Everything went Cholla's way against Empire in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, as Cholla made off with a 75-50 win. Will Cholla repeat their success, or does Empire have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.