Basketball Game Preview: Lawrenceville Indians vs. Casey-Westfield Warriors

The Lawrenceville Indians will challenge the Casey-Westfield Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Lawrenceville and six for Casey-Westfield.

Last Monday, Lawrenceville took a blow against Richland County, falling 56-24. While losing is never fun, the Indians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 443rd, while the Tigers are ranked 183rd).

Addeline Sanders was Lawrenceville's leading scorer, having posted nine points. Sanders also led the team in rebounds with six.

Meanwhile, Casey-Westfield had to suffer through a 59-24 loss at the hands of Paris.

Lawrenceville will have to keep a close watch on Lucy Moore and Jayla Roberts, a pair of players who had a big impact on Casey-Westfield's prior game. Moore went 8 of 17 en route to 16 points and eight rebounds, while Roberts posted six points. That was a full 66.7% of Casey-Westfield's points, marking the ninth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points.

Casey-Westfield's loss dropped their record down to 9-15. As for Lawrenceville, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-13.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lawrenceville has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Casey-Westfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Lawrenceville lost to Casey-Westfield on the road by a decisive 41-24 margin when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Can Lawrenceville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.