Basketball Game Preview: Arcola Purple Riders vs. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights

The Arcola Purple Riders will face off against the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights at 2:00 p.m. on Monday.

Last Thursday, Arcola came up short against Cumberland and fell 61-49.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond). They blew past Okaw Valley 63-11 on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's win came from a few key players Arcola will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Anna Rawlins, who posted 11 points and seven steals. That's the most points she has posted since back in December of 2023. Bella Romine was another key player, putting up seven points and six steals.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in seven consecutive games.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-11 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.3 points per game. As for Arcola, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 11-7.

Arcola strolled past Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond in their previous meeting on Monday by a score of 58-43. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's Sophie Monts, who almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Arcola still be able to contain Monts? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.