Basketball Game Preview: Waukegan Bulldogs vs. Stevenson Patriots

Waukegan hasn't had much luck against Stevenson recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Waukegan Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the Stevenson Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Waukegan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.4 points per game this season.

While Waukegan didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-21), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They enjoyed a cozy 47-32 victory over Payton College Prep on Saturday. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 205th, while the Grizzlies are ranked 457th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Waukegan's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Hadassah Brown, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 13 boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Baakir Christian, who posted 11 points in addition to eight rebounds and five steals.

Meanwhile, Stevenson was able to grind out a solid victory over Carmel on Tuesday, taking the game 41-31. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Patriots.

Stevenson has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. As for Waukegan, their record now sits at 5-2.

Waukegan was taken down by Stevenson 56-14 when the teams last played back in January. Can Waukegan avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.