Preview: Peoria Heights Patriots vs. West Prairie Cyclones
Peoria Heights has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the West Prairie Cyclones at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Peoria Heights suffered their closest loss yet this season on Tuesday. They fell just short of Farmington by a score of 72-69. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Peoria Heights in their matchups with Farmington: they've now lost nine in a row.
West Prairie suffered their biggest loss since December 9, 2023 on Wednesday. They took a serious blow against Mendon Unity, falling 68-41. West Prairie has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, West Prairie saw an underclassman step up: Braden Coplan scored 19 points. That was a full 46.3% of West Prairie's points, marking the sixth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Peoria Heights now has a losing record at 9-10. As for West Prairie, they bumped their record down to 3-17 with that defeat, which was their 21st straight on the road dating back to last season.
Everything came up roses for Peoria Heights against West Prairie in their previous matchup back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 65-35 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Peoria Heights since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
