Basketball Game Preview: Peoria Lions vs. Champaign Central Maroons

The Peoria Lions will face off against the Champaign Central Maroons at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Peoria is coming into the contest hot, having won their last eight games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Peoria took on Urbana on Friday. Peoria took down Urbana 63-49. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Tigers are ranked 272nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Champaign Central didn't have quite enough to beat Danville on Friday and fell 59-56. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Maroons have suffered against the Vikings since February 8, 2019.

Peoria's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 24-6. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points over those games. As for Champaign Central, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 14-11.

Peoria came up short against Champaign Central in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 60-56. Will Peoria have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.