Basketball Game Preview: South Newton Rebels vs. Donovan Wildcats

Two dominant forwards in Matthew Armstrong and Brendan Hennieke are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The South Newton Rebels will host the Donovan Wildcats at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

South Newton is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came out on top against Iroquois West by a score of 66-53 on Saturday.

Colton Marks had an outrageously good game as he went 9-for-12 to rack up 29 points. What's more, he also posted a 67% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's achieved since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Armstrong, who almost dropped a double-double with 14 points and nine boards.

South Newton was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Donovan, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They snuck past Kankakee Trinity Academy with a 79-73 victory on Saturday.

Donovan had a senior duo take command as Jacob Onnen went 9-for-14 on his way to 23 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists and Hennieke dropped a double-double with 24 points and 11 boards. Onnen continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Braden Klecan was another key player, going 5-for-6 en route to 11 points and six rebounds.

Donovan's win bumped their record up to 6-20. As for South Newton, their victory bumped their record up to 2-14.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: South Newton has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Donovan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

South Newton came up short against Donovan when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 47-34. Will South Newton 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.