Preview: Manual Thunderbolts vs. DSST: Green Valley Ranch Raptors
Manual has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the DSST: Green Valley Ranch Raptors at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. One thing working in Manual's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
Even though Thomas MacLaren School scored an imposing 56 points on Monday, Manual still came out on top. Manual walked away with a 67-56 victory over Thomas MacLaren School.
Manual's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jovan Collins-Falcon, who scored 22 points along with five rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Collins-Falcon has scored all season. Deshawn Fox was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, DSST: Green Valley Ranch didn't have too much trouble with DSST: Cedar on the road on Friday as they won 61-43. Given DSST: Green Valley Ranch's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 65th, while DSST: Cedar is ranked 221st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
DSST: Green Valley Ranch can attribute much of their success to Shalom Abioye, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jovonnie Babineaux, who scored 19 points along with four steals. Another player making a difference was Leul Michael, who scored six points.
Manual is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season. As for DSST: Green Valley Ranch, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.
Tuesday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Manual have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for DSST: Green Valley Ranch, though, as they've been averaging only 29.8 rebounds per game. Given Manual's sizeable advantage in that area, DSST: Green Valley Ranch will need to find a way to close that gap.
Manual and DSST: Green Valley Ranch were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in January of 2023, but Manual came up empty-handed after a 63-62 loss. Thankfully for Manual, Johnson Asamonye (who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
