Basketball Game Preview: Manhattan Indians vs. Junction City Bluejays

Manhattan has gone a perfect 10-0 against Junction City recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Manhattan Indians will venture away from home to square off against the Junction City Bluejays at 6:00 p.m. Manhattan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.5 points per game this season.

Manhattan is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since December 11, 2023 on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Hayden 50-47. The win was all the more spectacular given the Indians' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 64th, while the Wildcats are ranked 17th).

Bailey Busch

Steals

02/18/25 vs Hayden	2
02/14/25 @ Topeka	2
02/11/25 @ Washburn Rural	3
02/07/25 @ Emporia	5
02/05/25 vs Topeka	4
+ 2 more games

Manhattan's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bailey Busch, who went 6-for-13 to rack up 15 points. Busch is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last seven games she's played. Kat Ball was another key player, putting up 11 points and five steals.

Manhattan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 16 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Junction City was not able to break out of their rough patch last Tuesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They were dealt a 49-21 loss at the hands of Emporia.

Manhattan pushed their record up to 11-6 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.7 points over those games. As for Junction City, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.

Everything came up roses for Manhattan against Junction City in their previous matchup back in January, as the team secured a 93-25 victory. Does Manhattan have another victory up their sleeve, or will Junction City turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.