Bloomington is on a seven-game streak of home losses, Normal West a six-game streak of away losses (dating back to last season), but someone's luck is about to change. The Bloomington Purple Raiders will take on the Normal West Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Bloomington will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings (they are ranked 493rd, while Normal West is ranked 207th).
Last Thursday, Bloomington took a serious blow against Lanphier, falling 68-31. Bloomington was down 49-18 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Despite the loss, Bloomington saw an underclassman step up: Carter Tindall scored 11 points along with three steals.
Bloomington struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Normal West only won by two when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 23-point they dealt East Peoria on Tuesday. Normal West blew past East Peoria 57-34.
Normal West had a senior duo take command as Isaiah Robinson scored 20 points and CJ Wilson scored 12 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Robinson has scored all season. Mike Zaleski was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
Bloomington's defeat dropped their record down to 0-24. As for Normal West, their win bumped their record up to 10-17.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bloomington have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 20.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Normal West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bloomington was taken down by Normal West 68-37 in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Will Bloomington have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
