Basketball Game Preview: Illini West Chargers vs. Lewistown Indians

The Illini West Chargers will face off against the Lewistown Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Lewistown took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Illini West, who comes in off a win.

Illini West took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They managed a 39-34 victory over Brown County. The win was all the more spectacular given the Chargers' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 269th, while the Hornets are ranked 101st).

Meanwhile, Lewistown was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 37-31 heartbreaker at the hands of Brimfield. While Lewistown didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating Brimfield 9-5 in the first quarter.

Illini West will need focus on slowing down Joley McLaughlin, one of several Lewistown players who made an impact when they last played. She almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards. That was a full 38.7% of Lewistown's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Abby Wiegand, who had ten points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Lewistown's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 9-15. As for Illini West, they now have a winning record of 13-12.

Everything went Illini West's way against Lewistown when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as Illini West made off with a 44-20 victory. Does Illini West have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lewistown turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.