Jacksonville has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They and the Springfield Southeast Spartans will face off at 7:00 p.m. on February 9th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Last Saturday, Jacksonville took a serious blow against the Braves, falling 71-41. Jacksonville has struggled against the Braves recently, as their game on Saturday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Jacksonville's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Masen Johnson, who scored nine points, and Isaiah Martinez who scored 14 points.
Meanwhile, Springfield Southeast's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight defeat. They lost to Belleville West at home by a decisive 69-52 margin. While losing is never fun, Springfield Southeast can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 325th, while the Maroons are ranked 118th).
Jacksonville dropped their record down to 11-16 with that loss, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Springfield Southeast, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-18 record this season.
Jacksonville came up short against the Spartans when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 64-57. Can Jacksonville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
