Basketball Game Preview: Manchester Regional Falcons vs. Elmwood Park Crusaders

The Manchester Regional Falcons will face off against the Elmwood Park Crusaders on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Manchester Regional has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Elmwood Park will arrive with four straight victories.

Last Thursday, Manchester Regional lost to Waldwick on the road by a 55-37 margin. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Falcons came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 108th, while the Warriors are ranked 276th).

Meanwhile, Elmwood Park made easy work of Hawthorne Christian on Tuesday and carried off a 60-35 win.

Elmwood Park's victory bumped their record up to 9-11. As for Manchester Regional, their loss dropped their record down to 16-4.

Manchester Regional didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Elmwood Park when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 50-45 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manchester Regional since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.