Basketball Game Preview: Westlake Christian Academy Eagles vs. South Beloit Sobos

The Westlake Christian Academy Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the South Beloit Sobos at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Westlake Christian Academy saw some tournament action on Saturday. They fell to Heritage Christian 46-40. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 582nd in Illinois, while the Defenders are ranked 266th in Indiana).

Westlake Christian Academy might have lost, but man, Caleb Nieze was a machine: he went 10 of 17 on his way to 22 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Those 22 points gave Nieze a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Cody Lovelace, who posted six points and six boards.

Meanwhile, South Beloit came tearing into Monday's match with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Indians with points to spare, taking the game 63-44.

South Beloit's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 15-3. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.1 points per game. As for Westlake Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.

Westlake Christian Academy was dealt a bruising 69-35 defeat at the hands of South Beloit in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Westlake Christian Academy was down 45-15.