There's no place like home for the Illini West Chargers, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Tuesday. They strolled past Canton with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 60-45. The win was all the more spectacular given Illini West's disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 330th in Illinois, while Canton is ranked 148th in Missouri).
Illini West got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ethan Carlisle out in front who scored 19 points. Reece Shoup was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with six rebounds.
Despite the loss, Canton still got an impressive performance from Tyler Frazier, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Preston Brewer, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, Canton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Illini West only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
Illini West's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-10. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for Canton, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-7.
Illini West won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Bushnell-Prairie City at 7:30 p.m. on February 9th. Hopefully Illini West focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up seven on Thursday. As for Canton, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Silex at 7:30 p.m. on February 9th. Canton is facing Silex at the right time seeing as Silex is stuck on a eight-game losing streak.
