Recap: Manteno Panthers vs. Grace Christian Academy Crusaders
The Manteno Panthers scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. Everything went their way against Grace Christian Academy as Manteno made off with a 63-42 victory. The win was nothing new for Manteno as they're now sitting on three straight.
Manteno was led to victory by Maddie Gesky and Sara Schmidt. Gesky dropped a double-double on 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Schmidt dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. Schmidt continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Ava Peterson, who scored six points along with seven assists and six rebounds.
Defeat or not, Grace Christian Academy got some senior leadership from Natalie Dalton and Lexi Salazar. Dalton scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and five steals, while Salazar. scored 17 points along with two steals. That was a full 35.7% of Grace Christian Academy's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Anna Watson, who scored five points along with five assists.
Manteno pushed their record up to 13-10 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Grace Christian Academy, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 8-17.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Manteno will square off against the Bulldogs at 6:45 p.m. on Monday. Streator is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak. Grace Christian Academy's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on January 29th.
