Basketball Game Preview: Athens Warriors vs. Illini Central Cougars

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Previous Games

02/09/24 - Away	53-42 W
02/10/23 - Home	68-44 W
01/25/22 - Home	53-45 W
02/09/21 - Away	59-32 W
01/28/20 - Home	62-40 W
+ 5 more games

Athens has gone a perfect 10-0 against Illini Central recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Athens Warriors will welcome the Illini Central Cougars at 7:30 p.m. Athens has now lost eight straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since January 21.

Last Tuesday, Athens took a blow against Riverton, falling 66-34. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 467th, while the Hawks are ranked 173rd).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Illini Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Olympia 61-58. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cougars have posted since January 19, 2024.

Athens' loss dropped their record down to 12-16. As for Illini Central, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 14-12.

Athens was able to grind out a solid victory over Illini Central when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 53-42. Does Athens have another victory up their sleeve, or will Illini Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.