Basketball Game Preview: Belleville East Lancers vs. O'Fallon Panthers

Belleville East is 0-10 against O'Fallon since February of 2022 but things could change on Thursday. The Belleville East Lancers will look to defend their home court against the O'Fallon Panthers at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Last Monday, Belleville East was fully in charge, breezing past Collinsville 54-23. The Lancers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 17 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, O'Fallon had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They breezed past Belleville West to the tune of 65-31 on Monday. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on four straight.

Belleville East better keep an eye on Josie Christopher. She was instrumental in O'Fallon's win, going 8-for-14 on her way to 18 points and seven steals. Christopher is becoming a predictor of O'Fallon's success: when she posts at least three steals the team is 20-5 (and 3-4 when she doesn't). Kayla Kalmer was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.

O'Fallon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

O'Fallon's victory bumped their record up to 23-9. As for Belleville East, their win bumped their record up to 19-11.

Belleville East came up short against O'Fallon when the teams last played two weeks ago, falling 54-50. Will Belleville East have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.