Basketball Game Preview: Central Rockets vs. Prairie Ridge Wolves

Central has gone 9-1 against Prairie Ridge recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Central Rockets will take on the Prairie Ridge Wolves at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Central's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four contests.

Central took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They had just enough and edged Huntley out 73-70. Given the Rockets' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Red Raiders are ranked 257th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

LJ Kerr

Points

02/07/25 vs Huntley	17
02/04/25 @ McHenry	2
01/31/25 @ Dundee-Crown	9
01/28/25 @ Crystal Lake South	6
01/25/25 @ Batavia	14
+ 13 more games

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than LJ Kerr, who posted 17 points and five rebounds. That's the most points Kerr has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Patrick Shell, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 16 points and eight boards.

Meanwhile, Prairie Ridge earned a 61-48 win over McHenry on Friday.

Central's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-8. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.0 points over those games. As for Prairie Ridge, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 10-17 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Central against Prairie Ridge in their previous matchup back in January, as the team secured a 67-35 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Central since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.