The Central basketball teams are back in action this afternoon as the American Rivers Conference slate continues. It’s a local rivalry matchup, as the Dutch will trek through the snow to Indianola to take on Simpson. The Central women have a chance at a statement victory against a Simpson team that is off to a 10-3 start. History is not on the side of the Dutch, however, as the Storm hold a 36-game win streak in the series, which dates all the way back to the 2001-02 season.

The Central men will look to get back on track after two straight conference losses. The Storm themselves have lost two conference games in a row, and the two teams enter with identical 1-3 league records. Simpson brings in three of the league’s top 11 scorers, and Head Coach Craig Douma says that those three and the supporting cast make the Storm a dangerous opponent.

“They have three really good seniors, and a good supporting cast around them, that’s kind of their three-headed monster there, so it’s going to be a battle. And their length, their size in the middle is going to give us problems and that kind of stuff and we have to find ways to still score in the paint. We’re going to have to shoot the basketball, and we’re going to have to find a way to get stops. And I don’t think you shut down Conor Riordan, but I think you try to contain him as much as you can.”

Today’s doubleheader will air live on 92.1 KRLS, with Jon Mohwinkle broadcasting the action. Pregame coverage begins at 1:45, with the opening tipoff scheduled for 2:00 from Cowles Fieldhouse on the Simpson College campus in Indianola.