Mattoon continues to search for that first win of the season. The Green Wave will return home in a non-conference matchup with the visiting Olney Richland County Tigers. 

Here is tonight’s preview:

Team Records: Mattoon (0-7, 0-3), vs. Olney Richland High School (4-1, 1-0)

Where: Mattoon High School

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at Mattoon High School

School Size: Mattoon (926), Olney (735)

JV Tip-Off: 6:00 p.m.

Varsity Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m.

Opponent’s History: Rob Flanagan enters his 26th season as the head coach of the Tigers. During the 2020-21 season, Flanagan picked up his 400th career win. He owns six Regional Championships, two Sectional Championships, and one state appearance to his resume. The Tigers finished 3rd in Class 2A during teh 2007-08 season. Last year, Olney was one of the best teams in Class 3A basketball. The team finished the regular season undefeated and swept the Little Illini Conference (8-0). With that said, Olney was upset by Marion in the Regional Championship to finish the year 27-1. 

Olney’s Past Results: Olney opened the season with a tournament championship. The team blew threw Red Hill 55-19 to start the season. That was followed by a 57-45 win over Fairfield and a 48-42 win over Lawrenceville. The team won a nail-biting 49-48 win over Robinson in the championship game. The team’s first loss of the season came to Mount Zion 58-51. 

Olney’s Top Players: The Tigers have a fairly young lineup. Junior Ian Winkler appears to be the top player on the team with 14.6 points and 2.2 steals per game. Sophomore Rex Hullum adds 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Freshman Casey Thomann adds 9.0 points, while senior Zechreia Wease adds 5.8 rebounds. 

Olney’s Team Stats:  The Tigers average 52.0 points per game. That includes shooting 45.0% from the field as a team. 

Mattoon’s Past Results: Mattoon owns losses to Rantoul, Highland, and Teutopolis from the St. Anthony Tournament. The team also owns three losses in the Apollo Conference. That includes a 53-51 loss to Mahomet-Seymour, a 43-24 loss to Lincoln, and Tuesday’s 63-48 loss to Effingham. 

Mattoon’s Team Stats:  Mattoon is averaging 41.6 points per game and allowing 53.0 points per game. In the loss to Effingham Christian Larson led the way with 14 points.