Basketball Game Preview: Rock Island Rocks vs. Moline Maroons

The Rock Island Rocks are taking a road trip to challenge the Moline Maroons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

On Tuesday, Rock Island strolled past Sterling with points to spare, taking the game 78-59. Given the Rocks' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Golden Warriors are ranked 205th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Moline came tearing into Tuesday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They breezed by the Pioneers to the tune of 84-42. The Maroons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 games by 23 points or more this season.

Moline has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 20-4 record this season. As for Rock Island, their win bumped their record up to 21-3.

Rock Island was able to grind out a solid victory over Moline in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 83-71. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rock Island since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.