Preview: Yavapai Roughriders at Central Arizona Vaqueros

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. (Interstat) — Two Arizona junior college men’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Saturday when the Central Arizona Vaqueros host the Yavapai Roughriders.

The game, scheduled for Feb. 21, 2026, is a rematch of a Feb. 4 contest won 69-64 by visiting Yavapai. The teams split their regular-season series, with Central Arizona winning 84-78 at home on Jan. 17.

Yavapai (5-14) enters on a three-game skid, including an 86-66 road loss to Southern Nevada on Wednesday. The Roughriders will lean on forward Rudolfs Svitins, who is coming off a dominant 28-point, 9-rebound performance in that defeat. Over his last three games, Svitins is averaging 20 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Central Arizona (8-16) snapped a four-game losing streak with a decisive 79-59 road win at Eastern Arizona on Wednesday. Guard Brayden Gant led the way with 20 points. Gant has been a consistent scorer for the Vaqueros, averaging 19.4 points over his last five outings. He posted 18 points and four assists in the Feb. 4 loss at Yavapai.

While both teams have struggled for consistency this season, their previous meetings have been competitive. The home team has won each matchup, a trend Central Arizona will aim to continue.

Yavapai’s offense runs through Svitins and Jason Parent, who recorded a 22-point, 11-redouble-double in the last game. Central Arizona will counter with Gant and Tayshaun Jackson, who scored 19 points alongside Gant in the win over Eastern Arizona.

Following this game, Yavapai will host Arizona Western on Feb. 25. Central Arizona is set to host Cochise on the same date.