Basketball Game Preview: New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly Vipers vs. Pleasant Hill/Western Wolves

New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly is 3-0 against Pleasant Hill/Western since January of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly Vipers will be taking part in a tournament against the Pleasant Hill/Western Wolves at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly has three straight victories, Pleasant Hill/Western has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Riverton 62-12. With the Vipers ahead 42-7 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Callie Wagner and Jacee Alexander were among the main playmakers for New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly as the former dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 steals and the latter went 6 of 12 on her way to 13 points in addition to seven boards and six steals. The dominant performance also gave Wagner a new career-high in assists (six). Another player making a difference was Jenna McGath, who posted eight points and three steals.

New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Pleasant Hill/Western suffered their biggest loss since February 12, 2024 on Thursday. They were dealt a 69-41 defeat at the hands of Pittsfield. While losing is never fun, the Wolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 403rd, while the Saukees are ranked 30th).

New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly's win bumped their record up to 12-5. As for Pleasant Hill/Western, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, slipping by Pleasant Hill/Western 25-24. Will New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly repeat their success, or does Pleasant Hill/Western have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.