Basketball Game Preview: St. Francis Gladiators vs. Manistee Chippewas

The St. Francis Gladiators will venture away from home to square off against the Manistee Chippewas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, St. Francis turned things around against Big Rapids on Tuesday. They snuck past the Cardinals with a 53-49 victory.

Meanwhile, Manistee entered their tilt with Oakridge on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They managed a 58-54 win over the Eagles. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Chippewas' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 448th, while the Eagles are ranked 203rd).

Manistee's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-7. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.4 points per game. As for St. Francis, their victory bumped their record up to 5-9.