Basketball Game Preview: Hoopeston Cornjerkers vs. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin Blue Devils

Hoopeston is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin is on a seven-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Hoopeston Cornjerkers will host the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Hoopeston is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Cissna Park: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hoopeston blew Cissna Park out of the water with a 73-44 final score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 39-19.

Hoopeston's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nick Cardenas led the charge by going 9 for 11 en route to 21 points along with seven boards and four steals. Those seven rebounds gave Cardenas a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trenton Montez, who almost dropped a triple-double on 11 points, nine boards, and ten assists.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin's strategy against Watseka on Tuesday. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin enjoyed a cozy 67-49 victory over Watseka. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 84th, while the Warriors are ranked 618th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hoopeston's win bumped their record up to 15-7. As for Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, their victory bumped their record up to 23-0.

Hoopeston suffered a grim 56-33 defeat to Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin when the teams last played on Thursday. Will Hoopeston have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.