Basketball Recap: Centennial Takes a Loss

Centennial was the 64-52 winner over Normal West when they last played one another back in January of 2025, but their luck changed this time around. The Chargers took a 65-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats on Friday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Chargers came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 117th, while the Wildcats are ranked 527th).

Maliq Givens-Smith was nothing short of spectacular for Normal West: he went 8-for-15 on his way to 28 points along with eight boards and seven assists. Those 28 points gave Givens-Smith a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chase Sennett, who shot 43% from the field to rack up 18 points and six rebounds.

Centennial has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season. As for Normal West, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-14.

Centennial has already played their next contest (against Glenwood), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Normal West, they will face off against Champaign Central at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Wildcats' defense better be ready for this one: the Maroons have averaged an impressive 51.8 points per game this season.