Preview: Decatur Eisenhower Panthers vs. Champaign Central Maroons
Decatur Eisenhower is 0-3 against Champaign Central since December of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Decatur Eisenhower Panthers will take on the Champaign Central Maroons at 7:30 p.m. Decatur Eisenhower is no doubt hoping to put an end to a 12-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Last Thursday, Decatur Eisenhower ended up a good deal behind Mt. Pulaski and lost 58-43. While losing is never fun, Decatur Eisenhower can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 544th, while Mt. Pulaski is ranked 250th).
Despite the loss, Decatur Eisenhower saw an underclassman step up: Honesti Woodland dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Mae'shell Eskridge, who scored six points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, after only 22 points in their last match, Champaign Central made sure to put some points up on the board against Centennial on Thursday. Champaign Central was the clear victor by a 65-39 margin over Centennial.
Decatur Eisenhower has not been sharp recently as the team has lost nine of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-19 record this season. As for Champaign Central, their win ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 12-16.
Decatur Eisenhower was dealt a bruising 62-27 defeat at the hands of Champaign Central when the teams last played back in December of 2019. Can Decatur Eisenhower avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
