The Kankakee Valley Kougars will square off against the Lowell Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Kankakee Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.6 points per game this season.
If Lowell heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Kankakee Valley took over last week. The Kougars secured a 36-30 W over Portage on Thursday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Kougars' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Indians are ranked 256th).
Camry Krueger
| 01/29/26 @ Portage | 6 |
| 01/27/26 vs Rensselaer Central | 3 |
| 01/24/26 @ Griffith | 4 |
| 01/22/26 vs Andrean | 2 |
| 01/21/26 @ Knox | 4 |
| + 11 more games |
Kankakee Valley's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Camry Krueger, who posted nine points in addition to six boards and six steals. That's the most rebounds Krueger has posted since back in November of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Adams, who almost dropped a double-double with 12 points and nine boards.
Meanwhile, Lowell had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They blew past Illiana Christian, posting a 57-28 win. The Red Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 20 points or more this season.
Kankakee Valley better keep an eye on Brooke Dawson. She was instrumental in Lowell's win, shooting 58% from the field on her way to 23 points along with seven assists and five rebounds. Gatlin Hanrath was another key player, putting up 11 points and seven boards.
Lowell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive matchups.
Kankakee Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 15 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points over those games. As for Lowell, their win bumped their record up to 16-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kankakee Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lowell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kankakee Valley beat Lowell 54-43 in their previous meeting back in December of 2025. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Kougars since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
