Basketball Game Preview: Dunellen Destroyers vs. Manville Mustangs

The Dunellen Destroyers will be taking part in a tournament against the Manville Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Dunellen is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Highland Park on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Dunellen lost 67-42 to Highland Park. The Destroyers were down 58-23 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Despite their defeat, Dunellen saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Rose Ciccolella, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards, was perhaps the best of all. Those ten rebounds gave Ciccolella a new career-high. Sophie Jimenez was another key player, putting up 18 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Manville took a blow against Middlesex on Thursday, falling 52-21.

Manville's loss dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Dunellen, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 1-1.

Dunellen might still be hurting after the 40-17 loss they got from Manville in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Dunellen was down 23-2.