Basketball Game Preview: Sparta Bulldogs vs. Carlyle Indians/Lady Indians

Sparta hasn't had much luck against Carlyle recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Sparta Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Carlyle Indians/Lady Indians at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Monday, Sparta didn't have too much trouble with New Athens as they won 59-43. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Sparta to victory, but perhaps none more so than Sierra Starr, who went 7 of 14 on her way to 16 points and seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Maddie Schulein, who went 5 for 11 en route to 14 points.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Carlyle, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They walked away with a 60-51 win over Civic Memorial on Wednesday.

Carlyle's victory bumped their record up to 19-5. As for Sparta, their win bumped their record up to 7-11.

Sparta took a serious blow against Carlyle in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 84-27. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Carlyle's Lera Schmeink, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 15 points and four steals. Now that Sparta knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.