The Hillsboro Hiltoppers came tearing into Thursday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They snuck past Carlinville with a 47-41 victory. The victory was all the more spectacular given Hillsboro's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 350th, while Carlinville is ranked 127th).
Hillsboro can attribute much of their success to Tatum Christian, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Kearstynn Davis, who scored 12 points along with 8 rebounds.
Hillsboro's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Carlinville, their loss dropped their record down to 5-2.
Hillsboro will square off against Nokomis at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Nokomis' defense has only allowed 26.3 points per game this season, so Hillsboro's offense will have their work cut out for Hillsboro. As for Carlinville, they will take on PORTA/Ashland-Chandlerville Central at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. PORTA/Ashland-Chandlerville Central will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
