Basketball Recap: Manchester Takes Down Western Branch in a Playoff Battle

Lancers

Margin (Wins)

01/21/25 vs Richmond City School of the Arts	112
01/28/25 vs Huguenot	77
12/10/24 @ Huguenot	75
01/27/25 @ Powhatan	65
01/09/25 vs Clover Hill	61

It's playoff time, and Manchester had no trouble coming through when it counted. They blew past the Western Branch Bruins, posting an 81-40 win. The Lancers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 32 points or more this season.

Rayne Wright continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a triple-double with 26 points, ten boards, and ten assists. Her big performance that evening made it eight games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Madison Smith, who posted six points along with ten rebounds and four steals.

Manchester smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Western Branch's loss on Tuesday came despite strong showings from Suki Warden and Maddie Lemasters. Warden earned 19 points, while Lemasters scored 16 points.

Manchester is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.9 points on average over those games. This is the second loss in a row for Western Branch and nudges their season record down to 14-9.

Manchester didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 42-25 victory against Highland Springs on the 27th. Western Branch does not have any more games scheduled as of now.