The Pottsville Crimson Tide will square off against the Mahanoy Area Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Pottsville is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Pine Grove just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 59-58 to the Cardinals. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Saturday (57), the Crimson Tide still had to take the loss.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Christian Alvarez, who made all 5 shots he took for 22 points. Ryder Bowers was another key player, putting up 15 points.
Meanwhile, Mahanoy Area won against Pen Argyl on Saturday with 55 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Tuesday. Mahanoy Area walked away with a 55-44 victory over Tamaqua. Given the Golden Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Blue Raiders are ranked 419th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mahanoy Area's win came from a few key players Pottsville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ryan Zilker, who went 7 for 11 on his way to 15 points and five boards. What's more, he also racked up two assists, the most he's had since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was William Mayberry, who posted 17 points.
Mahanoy Area 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 eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Mahanoy Area's win was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Pottsville, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-6.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Pottsville has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 98.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Mahanoy Area struggles in that department as they've drained 39% of their three-pointers this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pottsville ended up a good deal behind Mahanoy Area in their previous meeting on January 7th, losing 62-47. Will Pottsville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
