Basketball Game Preview: Joliet West Tigers vs. Joliet Central Steelmen

Joliet West is 9-1 against Joliet Central since February of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Joliet West Tigers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Joliet Central Steelmen at 5:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Last Tuesday, Joliet West came up short against Oswego East and fell 62-52. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 426th, while the Wolves are ranked 138th).

Despite their defeat, Joliet West saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Khiana Tyler, who posted 17 points, was perhaps the best of all. Those 17 points gave Tyler a new career-high. Makayla J Chism was another key player, putting up ten points.

Meanwhile, Joliet Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a blow against Yorkville, falling 57-29. The Steelmen were down 41-19 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Joliet West's defeat dropped their record down to 4-18. As for Joliet Central, their loss dropped their record down to 10-16.

Joliet West couldn't quite finish off Joliet Central in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 and fell 54-51. Will Joliet West have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.