Normal West has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Bloomington took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Normal West, who comes in off a win.
You can't lose the matchup if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Normal West's strategy against East Peoria on Tuesday. Everything went Normal West's way against East Peoria as Normal West made off with a 57-34 win.
Normal West relied on the efforts of CJ Wilson, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds, and Isaiah Robinson, who scored 20 points. Wilson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Mike Zaleski was another key contributor, scoring six points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, sadly, Bloomington is still looking for their first win of the season after 24 matchups. They were outmatched by Lanphier on the road and fell 68-31. While losing is never fun, Bloomington can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 493rd, while Lanphier is ranked 166th).
Despite the defeat, 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 pushed their record up to 10-17 with that win, which was their third straight at home. As for Bloomington, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-24.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Normal West have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bloomington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 20.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Normal West against Bloomington in their previous meeting back in November of 2023 as the squad secured a 68-37 victory. Does Normal West have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bloomington turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
