Basketball Game Preview: Morris Redskins vs. Bloomington Purple Raiders

The Morris Redskins will square off against the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Morris will be strutting in after a win while Bloomington will be coming in after a loss.

Bloomington will be up against a hot Morris squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. Morris took down Serena 63-47 on Thursday. Given the Redskins' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while the Huskers are ranked 222nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Bloomington came up short against Richwoods on Saturday and fell 38-28. The Purple Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Morris will have to contain Tina Lenard as she made an impact in Bloomington's last game. She posted ten points along with seven boards and five steals. Lenard has become a key player for Bloomington: the team is 8-3 when she posts at least three steals, but 7-8 otherwise.

Morris' victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 25-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points over those games. As for Bloomington, the defeat was their first on the road , dropping their record down to 15-11.

Everything went Morris' way against Bloomington in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as Morris made off with a 56-35 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Morris since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.