Basketball Game Preview: Bloomington Purple Raiders vs. Washington Panthers

The Bloomington Purple Raiders will head out to face off against the Washington Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Bloomington knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Washington likes a good challenge.

Bloomington is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Champaign Central just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a hard 72-57 fall against the Maroons. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Purple Raiders came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 169th, while the Maroons are ranked 407th).

Meanwhile, Washington was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 59-53 to East Peoria. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Raiders: they've now lost three in a row.

Bloomington's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Washington, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 5-3.

Bloomington skirted past Washington 62-59 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Purple Raiders since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.