Basketball Game Preview: Batavia Bulldogs vs. York Dukes

The Batavia Bulldogs will face off against the York Dukes at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

York will be up against a hot Batavia team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Batavia blew past Glenbard North, posting a 55-27 win. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Panthers are ranked 406th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Batavia's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kaidyn King, who went 6-for-10 to rack up 13 points and three steals. Ali Thomas was another key player, dropping a double-double with ten points and 15 boards.

Batavia was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, York rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 53-29 margin over the Vikings. The victory was familiar territory for the Dukes, who have now won three contests in a row.

York's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-16. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.0 points over those games. As for Batavia, their victory bumped their record up to 22-9.

Batavia didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against York in their previous matchup back in February of 2016, but they still walked away with a 56-50 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Batavia since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.