The Rantoul Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Arthur-Okaw Christian Conquering Riders at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Rantoul can finally bid farewell to their seven-game losing streak thanks to their game on Thursday. They took down Paxton-Buckley-Loda 44-30. The victory was just what Rantoul needed coming off of a 58-30 defeat in their prior game.
Rantoul's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Joselyn Espinoza, who scored 15 points along with three steals, and Josie Roseman, who scored 12 points along with five steals. The contest was Roseman's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Jasmine Mccullough was another key contributor, scoring four points along with three steals and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Arthur-Okaw Christian came tearing into Tuesday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on Calvary Christian Academy with a sharp 55-30 victory. The result was nothing new for Arthur-Okaw Christian, who have now won five matchups by 25 points or more so far this season.
Addisyn Erwin continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 25 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Brileigh Mast, who scored six points.
Rantoul's win ended a eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-9. As for Arthur-Okaw Christian, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Rantoul have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 17.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Arthur-Okaw Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 23.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rantoul beat Arthur-Okaw Christian 53-40 in their previous meeting back in December of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rantoul since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
