STERLING – Jereme and Justin Richmond got

STERLING – Jereme and Justin Richmond got to do something for the first time Sunday.

The Richmond brothers faced off in a game for the first time, and baby brother Jereme and his Sauk Valley Predators got the better of things, thumping the Chicago Muscle 122-79 in a key Premier Basketball League Central Division clash at Sterling High School’s Musgrove Fieldhouse.

Jereme Richmond, the former Waukegan High School and University of Illinois standout, scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds in his 41 minutes as a starter for the Predators.

Big brother Justin was Chicago’s sixth man. He scored eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in 15 minutes of action.

“It was fun to compete against him in an actual game,” said Jereme, who also had a couple thunderous follow-up dunks on teammates’ misses. “I’ve played him so many times in the driveway and recreationally.”

The Richmonds went head-to-head on a jump ball with 1:21 to play and the game far out of reach. Jereme won the tip.

“Just to have that moment with my brother is something I’ll remember forever,” Jereme said. “I got it. I couldn’t lose that one with my mom and dad watching. I’m the baby brother, so any time I can win against him is always a pleasure.”

While the dueling Richmonds were entertaining, Mike Rose, Herman Favors and the Predators’ defense stole the show.

Rose poured in a game-high 34 points, hitting eight of 14 3-point attempts. The 5-foot-9 Favors stood tall, scoring 25 points and dishing out a game-high 15 assists. And the Predators’ (9-6) defense was outstanding, especially in the first half. They held the Muscle (8-8) to 16 points in the first quarter and just 12 in the second while building a 56-28 halftime advantage.

It was an especially impressive performance, considering the Predators had to fight for an 88-87 win over the previously unbeaten Central Illinois Drive on Saturday night in Sterling.

“[Saturday] was big for our young team,” Predators coach Kevin Keathley said. “We finally got over the hump against those guys. We lost at the buzzer early in the season, and we blew a 20-point lead at their place just a week prior. We got mentally tougher in that ballgame. But this was the most important game, because we were only a half-game up on the Muscle in the playoff hunt.”

Rose provided a thrill down the stretch, when he hit four 3-pointers in just over a minute.

“That was probably a first,” Rose said. “After I hit the second one, everything was in rhythm and my confidence was high. My teammates kept getting me the ball. A couple of them were contested, but I try not to look at that. I just try to look at the rim.”

The Predators controlled the action throughout, building a double-digit lead just over 7 minutes into the action and adding on the rest of the way.

Jeremiah Box scored 15 points and Quinn Humphrey added 12 for Sauk Valley.

Illinois State product Rico Hill led the Muscle with 28 points. Casey Love added 18.

The Predators are 3-0 against the Muscle this season.

Star of the game: Mike Rose, Predators, game-high 34 points, 8-14 from 3-point range

Key performers: Rico Hill, Muscle, team-high 28 points; Herman Favors, Predators, 25 points, 15 assists; Jereme Richmond, Predators, 15 points, game-high 16 rebounds

Up next: St. Louis Phoenix at Predators, 6:30 p.m. Saturday

• See Saturday’s game summary on B4