Basketball Game Preview: Johnsburg Skyhawks vs. Rockford Christian Royal Lions

The Johnsburg Skyhawks will challenge the Rockford Christian Royal Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Saturday, Johnsburg beat McHenry 41-31. Given the Skyhawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 241st, while the Warriors are ranked 598th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Rockford Christian came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Hawks 50-25. While the Royal Lions didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Rockford Christian's win came from a few key players Johnsburg will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaden Conerly, who went 6 of 10 en route to 13 points. Another player making a difference was Lucy Gargani, who posted 13 points.

Rockford Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.

Johnsburg has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.7 points per game. As for Rockford Christian, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.

Johnsburg might still be hurting after the 60-38 loss they got from Rockford Christian in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Will Johnsburg have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.