Basketball Game Preview: Villa Grove Blue Devils vs. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights

The Villa Grove Blue Devils will venture away from home to square off against the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Villa Grove has now lost ten straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since January 14.

Villa Grove is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Cumberland on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Villa Grove came up short against Cumberland, falling 62-38. While losing is never fun, the Blue Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 726th, while the Pirates are ranked 327th).

Meanwhile, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's game on Tuesday was all tied up 24-24 at the half, but sadly for them it didn't stay that way. They took a 62-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of Unity Christian.

Villa Grove's record now sits at 5-20. As for Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, their record now sits at 8-20.

Villa Grove beat Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond 65-52 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Villa Grove since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.