Basketball Game Preview: Wilmington Wildcats vs. Beecher Bobcats

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

Wilmington took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They slipped by Streator 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).

Meanwhile, everything went Beecher's way against Prairie Central on Saturday as Beecher made off with a 73-47 win.

Wilmington pushed their record up to 18-9 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.8 points over those games. As for Beecher, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 17-12 record this season.

Wilmington was able to grind out a solid win over Beecher in their previous matchup back in February of 2020, winning 62-54. Does Wilmington have another victory up their sleeve, or will Beecher turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.