Jefferson is 2-8 against Rockford East since January of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Jefferson J-Hawks will head out on the road to challenge the Rockford East E-Rabs at 7:15 p.m. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Wednesday, Jefferson came up short against Freeport and fell 58-48. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Jefferson in their matchups with Freeport: they've now lost six in a row.
Rockford East suffered their biggest defeat since December 27, 2023 on Wednesday. They suffered a rough 64-43 loss at the hands of Rockford Auburn. While losing is never fun, Rockford East can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 447th, while Rockford Auburn is ranked 140th).
Despite the loss, Rockford East had strong showings from Marquis Goldsmith, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Sterling Hoarde, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Hoarde hasn't dropped below two steals for four straight games.
Jefferson's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-9. As for Rockford East, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-19 record this season.
Jefferson didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Rockford East when the teams last played back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 50-46 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jefferson since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
