Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Vernon Rams vs. Breese Central Cougars

Mt. Vernon is on a seven-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Breese Central is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Mt. Vernon Rams will welcome the Breese Central Cougars at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Mt. Vernon knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven games -- so hopefully Breese Central likes a good challenge.

Mt. Vernon is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Illinois' top teams: Civic Memorial, who was ranked 20th at the time (Mt. Vernon was ranked 14th). Mt. Vernon snuck past Civic Memorial with a 60-54 win on Monday.

Mt. Vernon's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kamaree Pollard, who posted 20 points. The matchup was Pollard's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Melaina Zedalis, who earned 15 points.

Meanwhile, Breese Central's undefeated season came to an end after 12 games on Sunday. They took a 60-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Alton. The loss put an end to the Cougars' undefeated start to the season.

Having lost for the first time this season, Breese Central fell to 12-1. As for Mt. Vernon, their victory bumped their record up to 14-1.

Mt. Vernon beat Breese Central 60-53 when the teams last played back in December of 2021. Will Mt. Vernon repeat their success, or does Breese Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.