After four games on the road, Jacksonville is heading back home. They will take on the Lincoln Railsplitters at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Jacksonville focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Friday.
Last Friday, Jacksonville was able to grind out a solid win over Cahokia, taking the game 61-53. Given Jacksonville's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 177th, while Cahokia is ranked 509th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jacksonville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ryan McCombs led the charge by dropping a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points McCombs has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Martinez, who scored 20 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Lincoln was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Saturday as they fell 35-29 to Rock Island.
The victory got Jacksonville back to even at 11-11. As for Lincoln, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-7.
Jacksonville was able to grind out a solid win over Lincoln in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 51-43. Will Jacksonville repeat their success, or does Lincoln have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
