Basketball Game Preview: Lincoln Railsplitters vs. Champaign Central Maroons

Lincoln is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Champaign Central is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Lincoln Railsplitters will host the Champaign Central Maroons at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Lincoln's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last seven matchups.

On Friday, Lincoln earned a 57-45 win over Taylorville.

Meanwhile, everything went Champaign Central's way against Urbana on Thursday as Champaign Central made off with a 43-17 victory.

Lincoln better keep an eye on Alex Parastaran. She was instrumental in Champaign Central's win, going 5 of 7 on her way to 15 points and seven rebounds. Parastaran continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Samara McArthur, who posted 11 points.

Lincoln has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.5 points per game. As for Champaign Central, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-11.

Everything came up roses for Lincoln against Champaign Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 72-21 victory. Does Lincoln have another victory up their sleeve, or will Champaign Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.