Okawville is 8-2 against Wesclin since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Okawville Rockets will look to defend their home court against the Wesclin Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully Okawville focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 on Monday.
While Okawville couldn't quite beat Breese Central on Monday, the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 27-point defeat they were dealt on Saturday. Okawville fell just short of Breese Central by a score of 55-53. While losing is never fun, Okawville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while Breese Central is ranked 17th).
Despite their loss, Okawville saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Madisyn Wienstroer, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. It was the first time this season that Wienstroer scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alayna Kraus, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Okawville struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the match if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Wesclin's strategy against Steeleville on Wednesday. Wesclin strolled past Steeleville with points to spare, taking the game 58-40. The win was just what Wesclin needed coming off of a 66-41 loss in their prior game.
Okawville dropped their record down to 17-11 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Wesclin, their win bumped their record up to 14-15.
Everything came up roses for Okawville against Wesclin in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 54-24 victory. Does Okawville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wesclin turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
