Lane Tech has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Amundsen Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Saturday, Lane Tech lost to Glenbrook North at home by a decisive 56-39 margin. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Lane Tech in their matchups with Glenbrook North: they've now lost three in a row.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Melanie Blanco, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Grace Bush, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Amundsen suffered their biggest loss since December 26, 2023 on Saturday. They were the victim of a rough 67-41 defeat at the hands of Trinity. While losing is never fun, Amundsen can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 353rd, while Trinity is ranked 118th).
Like Lane Tech, Amundsen lost despite seeing results from several players. Hannah Lopez led the charge by scoring eight points along with six rebounds. Alyssa Valdez was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with three steals.
Lane Tech's loss dropped their record down to 14-10. As for Amundsen, they bumped their record down to 9-14 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight at home.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Lane Tech have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 37.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Amundsen, though, as they've been averaging only 31.4 rebounds per game. Given Lane Tech's sizeable advantage in that area, Amundsen will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Lane Tech against Amundsen when the teams last played back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 58-26 victory. With Lane Tech ahead 38-11 at the half, the game was all but over already.
