Preview: Manitou Springs Mustangs vs. Rye Thunderbolts
The Manitou Springs Mustangs will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Rye Thunderbolts at 6:00 p.m. on February 10th. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Tuesday, Manitou Springs was beaten by Buena Vista 56-20. Manitou Springs has not had much luck with Buena Vista recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the defeat, Manitou Springs saw an underclassman step up: Brooklynn Sheffield scored eight points along with nine rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was McKesson Rhodes, who scored three points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 90-34, which was the final score in Rye's tilt against St. Mary's on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Rye can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 301st, while St. Mary's is ranked 84th).
Manitou Springs dropped their record down to 6-12 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 26.4 points per game. As for Rye, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost ten of their last 12 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-13 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Manitou Springs against Rye when the teams last played back in February of 2023 as the team secured a 49-21 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manitou Springs since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
