The Mater Dei Knights came tearing into  Friday's  matchup with six straight wins  (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 points) and they left with even more momentum. It was close, but they capped 2023 with a  46-43 win over Breese Central. For Mater Dei, this counts as revenge for the   35-22 defeat Breese Central walked away with the last time they faced one another  back in December of 2023.
 Mater Dei's win  was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from   Amelia Beer, who  scored 11 points along with five  rebounds.  Alyssa Koerkenmeier was another key contributor,  scoring 11 points.
 Mater Dei has  been performing  incredibly well recently as they've  won nine of their last ten matchups,  which provided a nice bump to their 13-2 record this season. As for Breese Central, their loss dropped their record down to 12-2.
 Both  teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Mater Dei and Althoff Catholic will face off  at 7:30  p.m.  on January 3rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Althoff Catholic will have to bring their A-game into this one,  as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings (they are ranked 185th, while Mater Dei is ranked ninth). As for Breese Central, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Civic Memorial at 5:00  p.m.  on Tuesday. Civic Memorial is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road.