Basketball Game Preview: Rockford Christian Royal Lions vs. Oregon Hawks

The Rockford Christian Royal Lions will venture away from home to square off against the Oregon Hawks at 6:45 p.m. on Friday. Rockford Christian is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.

While Rockford Christian didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They ended the year with a bang, routing East Moline United 57-35 on Saturday. Given the Royal Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 189th, while the Panthers are ranked 532nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Josie Becker was nothing short of spectacular: she almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine steals. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.4 steals per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Shea Ludwig, who posted 13 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Oregon played a tough matchup last Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Byron, falling 63-35. The Hawks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 41-14.

Oregon's defeat dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Rockford Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.

Everything came up roses for Rockford Christian against Oregon when the teams last played back in November, as the team secured a 69-40 win. Does Rockford Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Oregon turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.