Basketball Game Preview: Carlinville Cavaliers vs. Vandalia Vandals

Carlinville hasn't had much luck against Vandalia recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Carlinville Cavaliers just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Vandalia Vandals at 7:30 p.m. Carlinville is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.2 points per game this season.

On Monday, Carlinville beat Bunker Hill 48-38. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cavaliers.

Sawyer Smith

Blocked Shots

02/03/25 vs Bunker Hill	3
02/01/25 vs Athens	4
01/31/25 @ Staunton	3
01/30/25 vs Pawnee	3
01/28/25 vs Lutheran	2
01/24/25 vs Bunker Hill	2

Sawyer Smith continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. He has been hot, having also posted two or more blocks the last six times he's played. Dominic Alepra was another key player, putting up 12 points and five assists.

Vandalia got their first taste of in-conference action this week and they started things off strong. They blew past Gillespie 82-59 on Friday. That looming 82-59 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Vandals yet this season.

Carlinville has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 10-12 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.4 points per game. As for Vandalia, their win bumped their record up to 10-14.

Things could have been worse for Carlinville, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 66-49 loss to Vandalia when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Can Carlinville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.