Basketball Game Preview: Manning Monarchs vs. Atlantic Collegiate Academy Armada

The Manning Monarchs will take on the Atlantic Collegiate Academy Armada at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Manning sitting on nine straight victories and Atlantic Collegiate Academy on six.

On Tuesday, Manning didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Mullins, but they still walked away with a 57-53 win. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Monarchs' disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Auctioneers are ranked 26th).

Manning relied on the efforts of Taivon Carter, who went 7 for 12 on his way to 17 points in addition to seven rebounds and four blocks, and Lovell Stevenson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 14 boards. With that strong performance, Carter is now averaging an impressive 2.1 blocks per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Lovon Stevenson, who posted eight points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Atlantic Collegiate Academy humbled Lake City with a 75-39 victory. The Armada have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 34 points or more this season.

Atlantic Collegiate Academy found their leader in sophomore Seeger Medalie, who put up 17 points. Another player making a difference was Jamie Brooks, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards.

Manning's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.2 points per game. As for Atlantic Collegiate Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.