Basketball Recap: Pekin Comes Up Short

Pekin entered their matchup against Hillcrest Academy on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Pekin Panthers were beaten by the Hillcrest Academy Ravens 71-39. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Ravens apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January.

Pekin's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 3-3. As for Hillcrest Academy, they pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.

Pekin and Hillcrest Academy should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Iowa Rankings. Pekin (ranked 111th) will meet Columbus (ranked 229th) at 7:30 p.m. on January 2, 2025. Similarly, Hillcrest Academy will face off against Fairfield at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday up 139 places (78 vs. 217).