Basketball Game Preview: Oswego Panthers vs. Plainfield South Cougars

Oswego and Plainfield South are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Oswego Panthers challenge the Plainfield South Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Oswego is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest loss since December 5, 2024 on Wednesday. They lost 57-33 to St. Charles East. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 260th, while the Fighting Saints are ranked 20th).

Meanwhile, Plainfield South was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 69-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Yorkville.

Oswego will have to keep a close watch on Tierra Abner and Zahira Edwards, a pair of players who had a big impact on Plainfield South's prior game. Abner went 7 of 17 on her way to 19 points and five steals, while Edwards went 7 for 16 en route to 18 points. That's the most points Edwards has posted since back in November of 2024. La'Niya Willis was another key player, putting up 11 points and five assists.

Even though they lost, Plainfield South smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.

Plainfield South's loss dropped their record down to 8-11. As for Oswego, they now have a losing record at 9-10.

Oswego couldn't quite finish off Plainfield South when the teams last played back in January of 2024 and fell 43-40. Can Oswego avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.