Preview: Bishop Manogue Miners vs. McQueen Lancers
Bishop Manogue has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the McQueen Lancers at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bishop Manogue has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 396 points over their last six matches.
On Thursday, Bishop Manogue faced Douglas in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Bishop Manogue was the clear victor by a 69-48 margin over Douglas. Bishop Manogue has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Bishop Manogue's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mata Peaua, who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Peaua has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Fa'anaetaua Puloka, who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds.
McQueen posted their closest win yet this season on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Galena 38-35. 38 seems to be a good number for McQueen as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
McQueen relied on the efforts of Brooklyn Pimpl, who scored seven points, and Caitlin Hilson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 15 rebounds. Hilson hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for four straight games.
Bishop Manogue pushed their record up to 17-1 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 30.67 points. As for McQueen, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-13.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Bishop Manogue hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59.6 points per game. It's a different story for McQueen, though, as they've been averaging only 34.2 points per game. The only thing between Bishop Manogue and another offensive beatdown is McQueen. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Everything came up roses for Bishop Manogue against McQueen in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 64-10 win. With Bishop Manogue ahead 32-5 at the half, the game was all but over already.
