Basketball Game Preview: East Alton-Wood River Oilers vs. Roxana Shells

East Alton-Wood River is 2-8 against Roxana since December of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The East Alton-Wood River Oilers will square off against the Roxana Shells at 6:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Last Monday, East Alton-Wood River had to suffer through a 66-26 loss at the hands of Breese Central. While losing is never fun, the Oilers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 446th, while the Cougars are ranked fourth).

Meanwhile, Roxana played a tough match on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Salem and fell 64-20. The Shells were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 32-5.

Roxana's loss was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 12-15. As for East Alton-Wood River, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-17.

East Alton-Wood River was dealt a bruising 56-26 loss at the hands of Roxana when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Can East Alton-Wood River avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.