Basketball Game Preview: Donovan Wildcats vs. South Newton Rebels

Two dominant forwards in Brendan Hennieke and Matthew Armstrong are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Donovan Wildcats will challenge the South Newton Rebels at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Donovan is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They snuck past Kankakee Trinity Academy with a 79-73 victory on Saturday.

Donovan's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jacob Onnen, who went 9-for-14 to rack up 23 points in addition to seven boards and five assists, and Hennieke, who dropped a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most assists Onnen has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Braden Klecan, who went 5-for-6 en route to 11 points and six rebounds.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Donovan was working as a unit and finished the game with 26 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, South Newton was able to grind out a solid win over Iroquois West on Saturday, taking the game 66-53.

Donovan better keep an eye on Colton Marks. He was instrumental in South Newton's win, going 9-for-12 on his way to 29 points. Marks continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Armstrong, who almost dropped a double-double with 14 points and nine boards.

Donovan's record now sits at 6-20. As for South Newton, their record is now 2-14.

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

Donovan beat South Newton 47-34 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Donovan since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.