Basketball Game Preview: Marion Wildcats vs. Carbondale Terriers

The Marion Wildcats will take on the Carbondale Terriers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Marion is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Marion took on Herrin on Saturday. Marion took down Herrin 66-50. The Wildcats pushed the score to 58-33 by the end of the third, a deficit the Tigers cut but never quite recovered from.

Marion's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Cameron Curry, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 17 points and five assists. Those 17 points gave Curry a new career-high. Ethan Simmons was another key player, going 5 for 11 en route to 14 points and eight rebounds.

Marion smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Carbondale suffered their biggest defeat since December 27, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against Centralia, falling 51-26. The contest marked the Terriers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Marion pushed their record up to 17-4 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Carbondale, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 13 of their last 16 games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-15 record this season.

Marion strolled past Carbondale in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 61-43. Will Marion repeat their success, or does Carbondale have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.