Basketball Game Preview: Carbondale Terriers vs. Mt. Vernon Rams

Carbondale hasn't had much luck against Mt. Vernon recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Carbondale Terriers will head out on the road to face off against the Mt. Vernon Rams at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Carbondale is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Mascoutah as Carbondale made off with a 52-30 win. The victory continues a trend for the Terriers in their matchups with the Indians: they've now won nine in a row.

Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon waltzed into their game on Thursday with ten straight wins... but they left with 11. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 69-37 win over the Flyers. With the Rams ahead 33-13 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Mt. Vernon's win came from a few key players Carbondale will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Arwyn Wilkey, who went 7-for-13 from beyond the arc to rack up 21 points and three steals. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Melaina Zedalis, who almost dropped a double-double with 15 points and nine boards.

Mt. Vernon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.

Mt. Vernon pushed their record up to 26-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.0 points over those games. As for Carbondale, their record now sits at 19-13.

Carbondale came up short against Mt. Vernon in their previous matchup back in January, falling 69-58. Can Carbondale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.