Preview: Illinois Central Christian Lions vs. Homefires Flames
After two games on the road, Illinois Central Christian is heading back home. They will take on the Homefires Flames at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Illinois Central Christian lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the loss they were handed on back in December of 2023 was a bit more commanding. They had to suffer through a rough 60-21 loss at the hands of Westfair Christian. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Illinois Central Christian has scored all season.
While Homefires couldn't quite beat First Baptist Christian on Saturday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 36-point loss they were dealt on Saturday. Homefires fell just short of First Baptist Christian by a score of 58-55. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat Homefires has suffered yet this season.
Despite the loss, Homefires got a solid performance out of Colin Chesnut, who scored 31 points. That was a full 56.4% of Homefires' points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Reagan Rademacher was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Illinois Central Christian bumped their record down to 4-5 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. As for Homefires, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
Illinois Central Christian couldn't quite finish off Homefires when the teams last played back in December of 2023 and fell 55-52. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Chesnut, who scored 25 points along with two steals. Now that Illinois Central Christian knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
