Basketball Game Preview: Althoff Catholic Crusaders vs. Christ the King Gladiators

The Althoff Catholic Crusaders will face off against the Christ the King Gladiators at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Althoff Catholic sitting on five straight victories and Christ the King on 13.

Althoff Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top against Teutopolis by a score of 48-37. Given the Crusaders' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Wooden Shoes are ranked 80th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Dierre Hill Jr

Points

03/10/25 vs Teutopolis	21
03/07/25 vs Breese Central	15
03/05/25 vs Vienna	15
02/28/25 vs Pinckneyville	21
02/26/25 vs Chester	15

It was another big night for Dierre Hill Jr, who shot 58% from the field en route to 21 points and five rebounds. The contest was his fifth in a row with at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Luke Smith, who posted four points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Christ the King strolled past Rock Falls with points to spare on Monday, taking the game 58-44.

Christ the King's win bumped their record up to 26-9. As for Althoff Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 30-5.