Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Vernon Rams vs. Carbondale Terriers

Mt. Vernon is 10-0 against Carbondale since February of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Mt. Vernon Rams will host the Carbondale Terriers at 7:30 p.m. The timing is sure in Mt. Vernon's favor as the team sits on 16 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Carbondale has been banged up by ten consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

Two weeks ago, everything went Mt. Vernon's way against Cahokia as Mt. Vernon made off with a 66-44 win. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while the Comanches are ranked 209th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mt. Vernon found their leader in sophomore Trevor Mcclure, who went 8 for 15 en route to 23 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mcclure has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of David Barnes, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 13 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Carbondale came up short against Carterville on Tuesday and fell 49-40.

Mt. Vernon's victory bumped their record up to 9-5. As for Carbondale, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.

Mt. Vernon strolled past Carbondale in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 64-45. Will Mt. Vernon repeat their success, or does Carbondale have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.