Basketball Game Preview: Manteno Panthers vs. Coal City Coalers

Manteno and Coal City are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Manteno Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Coal City Coalers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Manteno will be strutting in after a victory while Coal City will be coming in after a defeat.

Last Wednesday, Manteno was able to grind out a solid win over Clifton Central, taking the game 61-49.

Meanwhile, Coal City was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 54-48 to Seneca. The Coalers have struggled against the Fighting Irish recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.

Manteno has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.7 points per game. As for Coal City, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-5.

Manteno took their victory against Coal City in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 65-45. Will Manteno repeat their success, or does Coal City have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.