The Jefferson J-Hawks and the Belvidere North Blue Thunder will compete for holiday cheer at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Jefferson has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Belvidere North will arrive with four straight victories.
Jefferson is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Rockford East on Friday. Jefferson took a 66-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of Rockford East. While losing is never fun, the J-Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 427th, while the E-Rabs are ranked 192nd).
Meanwhile, everything went Belvidere North's way against Belvidere on Friday as Belvidere North made off with a 41-20 win. The Blue Thunder have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 21 points or more this season.
Jefferson's loss dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Belvidere North, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Things could have been worse for Jefferson, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 57-38 loss to Belvidere North when the teams last played back in February. Can Jefferson avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
