Basketball Recap: Mater Dei Now 10-3 over Last 13 Games

Mater Dei proved they can win big last Wednesday (they won by 30) and on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 54-51 victory over the Carbondale Terriers. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 118th, while the Terriers are ranked 334th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leading Mater Dei to victory were Elliott Rakers and Gavin Peppenhorst. Rakers dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 boards, while Peppenhorst posted 16 points in addition to six assists and six rebounds. That's the most boards Rakers has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Conner Diekemper, who put up nine points.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Mater Dei was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Mater Dei is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for Carbondale, they are on an eight-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-10.

Mater Dei will square off against Nokomis at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mater Dei is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games. As for Carbondale, they will be playing at home against Carterville at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.