Basketball Recap: Rauner Comes Up Short

Rauner lost against Butler last Friday and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Rauner Wildcats took a blow against the Butler Lynx, falling 71-34. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 662nd, while the Lynx are ranked 226th).

Butler was led to victory by Danny Bennett and Julius Hamlin Jr. Bennett dropped a double-double on 21 points and 11 boards, while Hamlin Jr went 5 for 12 en route to 15 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. Bennett is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last 14 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of DaJaun Taylor Jr, who posted 11 points in addition to five assists and four steals.

Rauner has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Butler, they pushed their record up to 15-8 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.

Rauner didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 49-35 defeat against Johnson on the 4th. As for Butler, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 68-35 victory against Bulls College Prep on the 4th.