Madison is 2-7 against Mater Dei since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. Both teams will face off at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Madison 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 372nd, while Mater Dei is ranked 177th).
While Madison couldn't quite beat Gibault Catholic on Wednesday, the three-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 26-point defeat they were dealt on Tuesday. Madison fell just short of Gibault Catholic by a score of 47-44. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss Madison has suffered against Gibault Catholic since January 18, 2018.
Mater Dei posted their closest victory yet this season on Saturday. They had just enough and edged Marion out 54-51.
Mater Dei's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Drake Wagner, who scored 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Elliott Rakers, who scored eight points along with seven rebounds.
This is the second loss in a row for Madison and nudges their season record down to 8-6. As for Mater Dei, their win bumped their record up to 11-12.
Madison skirted past Mater Dei 48-46 in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mater Dei's Dalton Markus, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Madison to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
