Basketball Recap: Normal West Takes a Loss

Normal West was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by the Champaign Central Maroons and fell 68-35. The Wildcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Maroons apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in January of 2024.

Normal West lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Maliq Givens-Smith, who posted 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Riley Larkin, who scored four points and seven boards.

Champaign Central was led to victory by Luke Swanson and David Riley. Swanson put up nine points in addition to five assists and three steals, while Riley went 5 for 6 en route to 14 points. Riley is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Cole Vuglar, who earned eight points.

Normal West's loss dropped their record down to 3-14. As for Champaign Central, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.

Normal West wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 60-45 victory against Lakes on the 18th. Champaign Central has also already played their next contest, a 75-62 win against Centennial on the 17th.