After three games on the road, Central is heading back home. They will take on the West Essex Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Last Saturday, Central took a serious blow against the Mountaineers, falling 62-35. While losing is never fun, Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while the Mountaineers are ranked 14th).
Meanwhile, West Essex was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 47-43 to the Hillbillies. That's two games in a row now that West Essex has lost by exactly four points.
Central's defeat dropped their record down to 12-9. As for West Essex, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-8.
Central didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against the Knights in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 60-55 win. Does Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
