The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights only won by two when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 33-point they dealt the Villa Grove Blue Devils on Monday. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond blew past Villa Grove 41-8 on the road. Given Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 326th, while Villa Grove is ranked 681st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Claire Seal, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it six consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's points. Another player making a difference was Morgan Casteel, who scored five points along with four steals.
Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-10 record this season. As for Villa Grove, they are on a 12-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-16.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Marshall at 7:30 p.m. on January 30th. As for Villa Grove, they will head out on the road to take on Sullivan at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Sullivan's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Villa Grove has been banged up by nine consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
