Basketball Game Preview: Harrisburg Bulldogs vs. Massac County Patriots

The Harrisburg Bulldogs will head out to face off against the Massac County Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Having struggled with three losses in a row, Harrisburg turned things around against Anna-Jonesboro on Wednesday. They managed a 58-52 win over the Wildcats. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 119th, while the Wildcats are ranked 298th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Massac County on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Hardin County out of the water with a 73-42 final score. The Patriots pushed the score to 61-33 by the end of the third, a deficit the Cougars had little chance of recovering from.

Harrisburg better keep an eye on Grady Bormann. He was instrumental in Massac County's win, shooting 4-for-5 from downtown and almost dropping a double-double on 16 points and nine rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jude Harmon, who went 6 for 13 on his way to 15 points.

Harrisburg's victory bumped their record up to 17-8. As for Massac County, their win ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-12.

Harrisburg was able to grind out a solid victory over Massac County when the teams last played back in December of 2024, winning 68-56. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Harmon, who went 8 of 14 en route to 23 points. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Harrisburg still be able to contain Harmon? There's only one way to find out.