Basketball Recap: Pekin Comes Up Short

Pekin won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Friday. They lost 64-39 to the Chicago Mt. Carmel Caravan. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 354th, while the Caravan are ranked sixth).

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Chicago Mt. Carmel to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cameron Thomas, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 16 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Mister, who went 8 of 19 on his way to 19 points along with five assists and five boards.

Pekin has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season. As for Chicago Mt. Carmel, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 10-1.

Pekin will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Canton at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025. Chicago Mt. Carmel and Tournament Opponent will round out the year against one another at at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.