Basketball Game Preview: Delavan Panthers vs. Illini Central Cougars

Delavan is 9-1 against Illini Central since January of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Delavan Panthers duke it out with the Illini Central Cougars at 4:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Illini Central will be up against a hot Delavan squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. Delavan took down Mt. Pulaski 59-45 last Friday.

Kelton Nafzinger was a one-man wrecking crew for Delavan as he went 9 of 12 en route to 19 points and six rebounds. Those 19 points gave Nafzinger a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Burrell, who posted 11 points and six boards.

Meanwhile, Illini Central hadn't done well against New Berlin recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Illini Central secured a 58-53 W over New Berlin.

Delavan's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-15. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 29.8 points. As for Illini Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season.

Things could have been worse for Delavan, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 64-49 loss to Illini Central when the teams last played back in November of 2024. Will Delavan have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.