Central visits Pope Francis on Dec. 16 for early-season league test

SBLive Report,

Pope Francis High School -

Central Golden Eagles (0-0) travel to Pope Francis Cardinals (0-0) on Tuesday, Dec. 16 for a league game at Pope Francis High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST. Fans can find full game coverage and stats on the SBLive game page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/games/5814937-central-vs-pope-francis.

Game details

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025

Time: 5:30 p.m. EST

Location: Pope Francis High School

Game page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/games/5814937-central-vs-pope-francis

Home: Pope Francis Cardinals — https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/214788-pope-francis-cardinals-jv (0-0)

Away: Central Golden Eagles — https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/178207-central-golden-eagles-jv (0-0)

Why this one matters

Both teams open play with 0-0 records and will use this early-season league matchup to set a tone for December. There is no recorded last meeting on file for this matchup, so expect coaches to lean on established rotation players while testing new looks. Central currently has 2 fans listed on SBLive and Pope Francis has 0 — numbers that can and do change as more fans follow teams on SBLive.

Streaming and tickets

Pope Francis NFHS Network page (may carry live video or school feeds): https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/pope-francis-high-school-springfield-ma/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

Central NFHS Network page: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/springfield-central-high-school-springfield-ma/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

Note: SBLive links above are the best place for game updates, rosters and postgame coverage.

Fan engagement — follow and pick

Follow the teams on SBLive to get alerts and help grow their fan counts: Pope Francis — https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/214788-pope-francis-cardinals-jv; Central — https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/178207-central-golden-eagles-jv. You can also make picks on SBLive for fun — picks are for fan engagement only and aren’t tied to any official win projections. These numbers may change, so follow the teams and make your pick for the one you want to see win.

Quick look ahead

If you can’t make Tuesday’s game, both teams return to action Thursday, Dec. 18: Pope Francis at Agawam (2:30 p.m.) and Central at Chicopee Comp (2:30 p.m.). Check each team’s SBLive page for updates and box scores.

Stay tuned to SBLive for pregame notes, live scoring and postgame reaction.