Basketball Game Preview: Marion Wildcats vs. Mattoon Greenwave

The Marion Wildcats will take on the Mattoon Greenwave in a holiday battle at at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Marion has four straight wins, Mattoon has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Saturday, Marion was fully in charge, breezing past Massac County 65-29. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 20 points or more this season.

Marion had a senior duo take command as Kyan Cole went 6 for 10 on his way to 15 points and Kaden Rogowski went 6 of 9 en route to 17 points. Rogowski is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last six games he's played. Ethan Simmons was another key player, putting up nine points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mattoon came up short against Richland County on Saturday and fell 56-47.

Marion's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 21.8 points. As for Mattoon, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.