Basketball Game Preview: San Manuel Miners vs. Valley Lutheran Flames

Having just played yesterday, the San Manuel Miners will head out on the road to face off against the Valley Lutheran Flames at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. San Manuel has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Having struggled with ten losses in a row, San Manuel turned things around against Superior on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Panthers 32-29.

Meanwhile, Valley Lutheran unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They received a blow as they fell 52-34 to Hayden. The contest marked the Flames' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

San Manuel will have to keep a close watch on Gary Yang and Luke Henley, a pair of players who had a big impact on Valley Lutheran's prior game. Yang went 8 for 10 on his way to 19 points and eight rebounds, while Henley posted five points and four steals. Those 19 points gave Yang a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Anias Macias, who had five points.

San Manuel's victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-6 and their overall record up to 2-13. As for Valley Lutheran, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-3.

San Manuel took a serious blow against Valley Lutheran in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 53-18. Can San Manuel avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.