The Normal West Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 72-64 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pekin. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
When it comes to explaining why Normal West lost, one person who can't be blamed is Mike Zaleski. Despite the final result, he scored 20 points. That's the first time this season that Zaleski scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Nate Moore, who scored 15 points along with six assists.
Normal West has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season. As for Pekin, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-4.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Normal West and MacArthur will face off at 6:30 p.m. on January 3, 2024 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. MacArthur knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 12 matches -- so hopefully Normal West likes a good challenge. Pekin will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on East Peoria at 7:00 p.m. on January 12, 2024.
