Basketball Game Preview: Rochester Rockets vs. Taylorville Tornadoes

The Rochester Rockets will venture away from home to take on the Taylorville Tornadoes at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Rochester is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top against Glenwood by a score of 42-33. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Rockets' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 315th, while the Titans are ranked 52nd).

Rochester got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Taylor Offer out in front who went 5-for-10 to rack up 13 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Alaina Stock, who went 5-for-9 en route to 12 points.

Meanwhile, Taylorville humbled Springfield Southeast with a 51-19 victory. The Tornadoes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 22 points or more this season.

The victory made it two in a row for Rochester and bumps their season record up to 10-22. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.5 points over those games. As for Taylorville, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-10 record this season.

Rochester ended up a good deal behind Taylorville when the teams last played back in November of 2024, losing 47-30. Can Rochester avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.