This couldn’t be more of a perfect setup for Bethalto Civic Memorial’s girls’ basketball team. They are playing in a Sectional Championship on their home court, while Mattoon must travel two hours for the fourth time this postseason. Then again, Mattoon has been perfect so far this postseason. A win tonight would mean a lot of things. It would give Mattoon their first Sectional Championship since 1991, but the team in the Elite 8, and give the Green Wave their school-record tying 30th win of the season. 

Here is the preview of tonight’s game. 

Team Records: Max Preps No. 4 Mattoon (29-2) vs. Max Preps No. 3 Bethalto Civic Memorial (30-3)

Where: Bethalto Civic Memorial High School

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at BCMHS

School Size: Mattoon (929), Bethalto Civic Memorial (754)

Varsity Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.

Opponent’s History: The team is led by second-year coach Mike Arbuthnot. Last year, the team finished 17-1 in the shortened season. Altogether, he owns a 47-5 record in about two seasons of work. The Regional Championship was the school’s first since 2020. A sectional championship would be the school’s first since 2017 and their third since 2014. A win would tie the school record for 31 wins and give the team a chance to qualify for state for the first time in school history. 

Mattoon’s Past Results:  Mattoon defeated Troy Triad 53-29 on Tuesday. Mallory Ramage scored 31 points to lead the Green Wave to their 10th straight victory. Lilly Ghere gave the team 14 points as well. 

Mattoon’s Team Stats: Mattoon is averaging 62.3 points per game and allowing 35.8 points per game. 

Bethalto Civic Memorial Season Review: Bethalto Civic Memorial finished a tough Mississippi Valley Conference with a perfect 10-0 record. The team is ranked No. 4 by MaxPreps and No. 11 in the latest AP Poll for Class 3A. Similar opponents include a 57-38 win over Taylorville, a 78-27 win over Mount Zion, a 46-40 win over Troy Triad, a 50-45 win over Teutopolis, and another 56-47 win over Troy Triad.  

OpponentMATTOON BETHALTO
TaylorvilleW, 49-48; W, 50-39W, 57-38
Mt. ZionW, 70-22; W, 64-39W, 78-27
Troy TriadW, 53-29W, 46-40; W, 56-47
Teutopolis W, 50-44W, 50-45

Bethalto Civic Memorial’s Team Stats: The team is led in scoring by two players. The first is 5-foot-6 senior Kelbie Zupan, averaging 14 points per game. Olivia Durbin, a 5-foot-8 junior guard is also averaging 14 points per game. Aubree Wallace, averaging, 10 ppg, has verbally committed to playing soccer at the University of Missouri St. Louis. The team averages 54.0 points per game and allows 40.1 points per game. 

What Bethalto Civic Memorial Said: “Been a good year winning the Taylorville and Highland tournaments,” said Arbuthnot. “We won a very competitive Mississippi Valley Conference with a 10-0 record. Mattoon is a veteran ball club. They are a very well-coached team with an all-state player in (number) 25 (Mallory Ramage). They have multiple players that we are going to have to control. Should be a great match-up.”

What Mattoon Said: “Civic Memorial is a solid basketball team,” said Aydt. “They play a variety of different defenses and they run their offense very well. I appreciate all of the support from the community. I know we have had some good crowds at home and I know a lot of people have been watching us in this postseason through streaming or listening to us on the radio. We appreciate all of the support and hope to have a good crowd at the sectional championship game. We are always ready to play and looking forward to it.”