Basketball Game Preview: Beecher Bobcats vs. Wilmington Wildcats

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Bobcats face off against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Beecher took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. Everything went their way against Prairie Central as Beecher made off with a 73-47 win.

Meanwhile, Wilmington hadn't done well against Streator recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Wilmington escaped with a win against Streator by the margin of a single free throw, 51-50. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Wildcats' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 349th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 125th).

Wilmington pushed their record up to 18-9 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.8 points over those games. As for Beecher, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-12 record this season.

Beecher came up short against Wilmington in their previous matchup back in February of 2020, falling 62-54. Can Beecher avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.