Basketball Recap: Breese Central Extends Home Winning Streak to 20

There's no place like home for Breese Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They came out on top against the Mater Dei Knights by a score of 61-51 on Saturday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Knights are ranked 35th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mater Dei's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Alyssa Koerkenmeier, who went 9 of 13 en route to 18 points and eight rebounds. What's more, Koerkenmeier also racked up two steals, the most she's had since back in February of 2024. Maris Zurliene was another key player, putting up seven points in addition to seven assists and six boards.

Cougars

Previous Games (Home)

01/25/25 vs Mater Dei	61-51
01/13/25 vs Roxana	70-21
01/11/25 vs Quincy Notre Dame	63-46
01/09/25 vs East Alton-Wood River	74-29
12/23/24 vs Carlyle	53-46
+ 15 more games

Breese Central pushed their record up to 21-2 with the win, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 30.9 points. As for Mater Dei, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 18-8.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Breese Central has already played their next matchup (against Greenville), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Mater Dei will face off against Centralia at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.