The Red Bud Musketeers will square off against the Sparta Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Red Bud is coming into the game on a five-game losing streak.
Last Friday, Red Bud came up short against Carlyle and fell 65-54. While losing is never fun, the Musketeers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 442nd, while the Indians/Lady Indians are ranked 75th).
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sparta, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They took down Wesclin 70-55 on Thursday.
Sparta's win came from a few key players Red Bud will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Damian Lanton, who went 7-for-12 en route to 23 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was DJ Hayes, who went 9-for-12 on his way to 22 points.
Sparta's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-11. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.3 points over those games. As for Red Bud, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-20.
Red Bud ended up a good deal behind Sparta in their previous matchup back in January, losing 62-47. Will Red Bud have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
