Basketball Game Preview: Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights vs. Mattoon Greenwave

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond is 0-7 against Mattoon since December of 2016 but things could change on Saturday. The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Mattoon Greenwave at 11:30 a.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Heritage on Thursday. Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond took a 50-38 hit to the loss column at the hands of Heritage. While the Knights didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Hawks 13-8 in the first quarter.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Sophie Monts, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards, and Sara Herschberger, who posted seven points and six rebounds. Those 18 points gave Monts a new career-high.

Meanwhile, Mattoon was beaten by Effingham 63-21 on Thursday. The game marked the Greenwave's lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Mattoon, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-7.

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond suffered a grim 65-39 defeat to Mattoon in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.