Preview: Crane Medical Cougars vs. North Grand Eagle Owls
Crane Medical is 6-0 against North Grand since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Crane Medical Cougars will be playing at home against the North Grand Eagle Owls at 5:00 p.m. Crane Medical will be coming into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
Crane Medical has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 25 points or more this season. They blew past Von Steuben, posting a 68-21 victory on the road. Given Crane Medical's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 20th, while Von Steuben is ranked 553rd), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Crane Medical's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sariah Allen led the charge by dropping a double-double on 22 points and 11 steals. The matchup was Allen's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Za'Nylah Moaton, who scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.
Meanwhile, North Grand didn't even let Collins onto the board and left with a 2-0 win on Tuesday. Despite the win, that was the fewest points North Grand has scored all season.
Crane Medical pushed their record up to 8-0 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.0 points per game. As for North Grand, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.
Everything came up roses for Crane Medical against North Grand in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the team secured a 100-0 win. Does Crane Medical have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Grand turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
