The Wabash Apaches will head out to take on the Manchester Squires at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Wabash has struggled recently with 13 defeats in a row, while Manchester will arrive with ten straight wins.
Wabash is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Tipton on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Wabash was outmatched by Tipton and fell 71-36. The Apaches were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-16.
| 01/14/25 vs Tipton | 7 |
| 12/17/24 vs Plymouth | 6 |
| 12/13/24 @ Maconaquah | 6 |
| 12/28/24 vs Northfield | 4 |
| 11/30/24 @ Madison-Grant | 4 |
The losing side was boosted by Noah Baldwin, who went 6 for 14 on his way to 12 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Mattern, who posted 11 points.
Even though they lost, Wabash smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Manchester took their match on Saturday with ease, bagging a 72-30 victory over Lewis Cass. The Squires have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 21 points or more this season.
Manchester had a senior duo take command as Gavin Betten almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine steals and Ethan Hendrix went 12 of 13 on his way to 31 points and six steals. Betten's evening made it eight games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tallon Torpy, who had five points.
Manchester pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35.2 points. As for Wabash, their loss dropped their record down to 0-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wabash has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Manchester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wabash came up short against Manchester in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 65-58. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Betten, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 16 boards. Now that Wabash knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
