Basketball Game Preview: Normal West Wildcats vs. Peoria Lions

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Normal West Wildcats duke it out with the Peoria Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday... Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Normal West is coming into the matchup on the come-up as their season has now been buoyed by two straight wins. They walked away with a 50-42 victory over Pontiac on Saturday.

Maliq Givens-Smith was the offensive standout of the game as he posted 16 points and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Zaleski, who earned 12 points.

Meanwhile, Peoria hadn't done well against Washington recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Peoria strolled past Washington with points to spare, taking the game 61-47. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Panthers are ranked 265th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Normal West has also been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-15 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points per game. As for Peoria, their win bumped their record up to 18-6.

Things could have been worse for Normal West, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 69-50 loss to Peoria in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Will Normal West have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.