The Center Vikings will face off against the Sierra Grande Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Center is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Sanford on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Center took a blow against Sanford, falling 53-20. The Vikings were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 36-9.
Center's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Emiliana Valdez, who posted five points, and Ximena Miranda, who had two points.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Sierra Grande's strategy against Sangre de Cristo on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Sierra Grande blew Sangre de Cristo out of the water with a 44-15 final score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Panthers had established a 21 point advantage.
Sierra Grande's win came from a few key players Center will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaylyn Quezada, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and ten steals. That's the most steals she has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Eneria Quintana, who dropped a double-double with 13 points and 11 steals.
Sierra Grande smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive matchups.
Sierra Grande has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.9 points over those games. As for Center, their loss dropped their record down to 13-6.
Center didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Sierra Grande in their previous meeting back in February of 2021, but they still walked away with a 54-50 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Center since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
