Basketball Recap: Central Falls Despite Big Games from Patrick Magan and Jacob Johnson

Central suffered their closest defeat since December 30, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of the Cary-Grove Trojans by a score of 63-60. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Rockets came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 86th, while the Trojans are ranked 200th).

Jacob Johnson

Points

02/21/25 vs Cary-Grove	19
02/19/25 vs Hampshire	15
02/14/25 vs Jacobs	19
02/11/25 @ Prairie Ridge	16

Central's loss came despite strong showings from Jacob Johnson and Patrick Magan. Johnson posted 19 points and six rebounds, while Magan went 5-for-11 to rack up 12 points and seven boards. Johnson's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was LJ Kerr, who scored seven points and three steals.

Central's loss dropped their record down to 22-9. As for Cary-Grove, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-13 record this season.

While Central had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.