Basketball Game Preview: Carlinville Cavaliers vs. Staunton Bulldogs

Carlinville and Staunton are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2021, but not for long. The Carlinville Cavaliers just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Staunton Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Carlinville has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Carlinville is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Pawnee: they outscored them in every quarter. Carlinville enjoyed a cozy 66-48 win over Pawnee on Thursday.

Sawyer Smith

Rebounds

02/19/24 @ Litchfield	14
12/09/23 vs Edinburg	14
01/30/25 vs Pawnee	13
12/05/23 vs SIUE East St. Louis Charter	13
12/28/23 vs East Alton-Wood River	13

Carlinville got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Sawyer Smith out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 rebounds. That's the most boards Smith has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Tate Duckels, who went 8 for 10 on his way to 18 points.

Meanwhile, Staunton entered their tilt with Greenfield/Northwestern on Tuesday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They walked away with a 49-41 win over the Tigers.

Staunton has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.1 points per game. As for Carlinville, their victory bumped their record up to 8-11.

Things could have been worse for Carlinville, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 56-42 loss to Staunton in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Can Carlinville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.