Preview: Manitou Springs Mustangs vs. Ellicott Thunderhawks
Manitou Springs is 7-2 against Ellicott since December of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Manitou Springs Mustangs will head out on the road to take on the Ellicott Thunderhawks at 7:30 p.m. Ellicott took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Manitou Springs, who comes in off a win.
Even though Manitou Springs has not done well against St. Mary's recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Manitou Springs walked away with a 45-38 win over St. Mary's.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to Ellicott, who are still winless after their 11th game. They had to suffer through a rough 66-25 loss at the hands of Buena Vista. While losing is never fun, Ellicott can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 310th, while Buena Vista is ranked 83rd).
Manitou Springs' win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Ellicott, they bumped their record down to 0-11 with that loss, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Manitou Springs was able to grind out a solid victory over Ellicott in their previous matchup back in January of 2023, winning 72-60. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Ellicott's Diabe Bathily, who dropped a double-double on 32 points and 16 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Manitou Springs to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
