Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Zion Braves vs. Effingham Hearts

The Mt. Zion Braves will square off against the Effingham Hearts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, Mt. Zion was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 54-49 to Taylorville. The loss continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Tornadoes: they've now lost eight in a row.

Meanwhile, Effingham blew past Richland County, posting a 63-22 victory. The Hearts have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 matches by 22 points or more this season.

Effingham is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 22-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.9 points over those games. As for Mt. Zion, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-19.

Mt. Zion came up short against Effingham when the teams last played back in January, falling 46-42. Can Mt. Zion avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.