Basketball Game Preview: Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine vs. North Clay/Clay City

Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine and North Clay/Clay City will face off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played.

On Friday, Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine ended up a good deal behind Dieterich and lost 64-45. Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine has struggled against Dieterich recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North Clay/Clay City). They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 110-27 victory over Ramsey. Given North Clay/Clay City's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 287th, while Ramsey is ranked 739th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine's defeat dropped their record down to 6-11. As for North Clay/Clay City, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-7.

Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, slipping by North Clay/Clay City 68-67. The rematch might be a little tougher for Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.