Basketball Game Preview: Gillespie Miners vs. Calhoun Warriors

The Gillespie Miners will head out to face off against the Calhoun Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Gillespie will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Gillespie is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Southwestern: they outscored them in every quarter. The stars were shining brightly for Gillespie in a 41-25 win over Southwestern on Monday. Given the Miners' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 113th, while the Piasa Birds are ranked 401st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Calhoun was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 52-47 to Pittsfield. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Gillespie pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.6 points per game. As for Calhoun, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 0-2.

Gillespie came up short against Calhoun in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 48-39. Can Gillespie avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.