Basketball Game Preview: Highland Park Giants vs. Vernon Hills Cougars

Highland Park hasn't had much luck against Vernon Hills recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Highland Park Giants will head out on the road to square off against the Vernon Hills Cougars at 6:30 p.m. Highland Park has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.

Last Monday, Highland Park came up short against Lake Forest Academy and fell 53-43.

Meanwhile, Vernon Hills had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.3 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 47-32 victory over the Warriors. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while the Warriors are ranked 375th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Highland Park's loss dropped their record down to 10-5. As for Vernon Hills, their win bumped their record up to 14-7.

Highland Park beat Vernon Hills 49-38 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Highland Park since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.