Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mt. Vernon). They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat the Mattoon Greenwave 75-30. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while the Greenwave are ranked 358th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mt. Vernon found their leader in sophomore David Barnes, who went 10 for 14 en route to 24 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Cale Maurer, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 13 boards.
Mt. Vernon was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.
Rams
| 02/08/25 vs Mattoon | 75-30 |
| 01/17/25 vs Carbondale | 54-51 |
| 01/04/25 vs Cahokia | 66-44 |
| 12/20/24 vs Miller Career Academy | 59-42 |
| 12/13/24 vs Centralia | 50-41 |
| + 13 more games |
Mt. Vernon pushed their record up to 14-8 with the victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points over those games. As for Mattoon, their loss dropped their record down to 8-18.
Looking ahead, Mt. Vernon will welcome Marion at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mt. Vernon has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Mattoon, they are taking a road trip to square off against Taylorville at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
