Basketball Game Preview: Eureka Hornets vs. Bloomington Central Catholic Saints

The Eureka Hornets will head out to challenge the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Eureka has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 188 points over their last three games.

Last Monday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Eureka beat Illini Bluffs 57-51.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bloomington Central Catholic, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They took their contest on Monday with ease, bagging a 73-32 win over Rantoul. The Saints have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matchups by 20 points or more this season.

Bloomington Central Catholic found their leader in freshman Karissa Cook, who went 9 for 12 en route to 21 points in addition to six boards and four steals. Cook also set a new season-high mark in field goal percentage with 75%. Another player making a difference was Emme Hurie, who posted six points along with seven assists and six rebounds.

Eureka is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 games, which provided a nice bump to their 23-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.3 points over those games. As for Bloomington Central Catholic, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-8.

Eureka ended up a good deal behind Bloomington Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, losing 60-44. Thankfully for Eureka, Cate Uhren (who went 7 of 10 to rack up 30 points and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.