Basketball Game Preview: Newman Central Catholic Comets vs. Eastland Cougars

The Newman Central Catholic Comets will square off against the Eastland Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Newman Central Catholic sitting on five straight victories and Eastland on three.

Newman Central Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They secured a 70-66 W over Galva.

Meanwhile, Eastland didn't have too much trouble with Morrison on Friday as they won 52-34. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 102nd in Illinois, while the Mustangs are ranked 545th in Illinois), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Eastland's win was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 27-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.8 points over those games. As for Newman Central Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 19-14.

Newman Central Catholic came up short against Eastland in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 55-42. Can Newman Central Catholic avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.