Basketball Game Preview: Manual Rams vs. Richwoods Knights

Manual hasn't had much luck against Richwoods recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Manual Rams will take on the Richwoods Knights at 6:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Manual came up short against Rock Island and fell 68-55. The Rams have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Manual might have lost, but man, Nyanna Payton was a machine: she dropped a double-double on 23 points and 16 boards. That's the most rebounds Payton has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ma'Kya Maxwell, who posted ten points along with six assists and five boards.

Meanwhile, Richwoods hadn't done well against Peoria recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Richwoods put the hurt on Peoria with a sharp 62-42 victory. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 180th, while the Lions are ranked 520th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Manual's loss dropped their record down to 18-10. As for Richwoods, their win bumped their record up to 13-11.

Manual didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Richwoods in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 49-44 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manual since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.