Basketball Game Preview: Seneca Fighting Irish vs. Manteno Panthers

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Previous 4 Games

02/10/20 - Neutral	51-18 W
01/29/18 - Home	58-24 W
01/18/17 - Home	45-33 W
01/05/17 - Away	42-19 W

Seneca has gone a perfect 4-0 against Manteno recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Seneca Fighting Irish will face off against the Manteno Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Seneca comes in on four and Manteno on eight.

Last Tuesday, Seneca strolled past Beecher with points to spare, taking the game 46-29. The team accrued 35 points in the first half and coasted on those for the victory.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Manteno had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They took down the Knights 46-29. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 183rd, while the Knights are ranked 388th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Manteno's win came from a few key players Seneca will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Emily Horath, who went 6-for-10 on her way to 12 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Thanks to that strong game, she now owns an excellent 45.2% field goal percentage. Another player making a difference was Maddie Gesky, who dropped a double-double with ten points and 17 boards.

Manteno smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Manteno pushed their record up to 24-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points over those games. As for Seneca, their record now sits at 24-8.

Everything came up roses for Seneca against Manteno when the teams last played back in February of 2020, as the team secured a 51-18 victory. Will Seneca repeat their success, or does Manteno have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.