Preview: Manchester Valley Mavericks vs. Gerstell Academy
The Manchester Valley Mavericks and Gerstell Academy will round out the year against one another at 5:03 p.m. on Wednesday at. Manchester Valley has insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 2-1 during that stretch of close contests.
Even though Manchester Valley has not done well against Liberty recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Manchester Valley pulled ahead with a 65-64 photo finish over Liberty. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
It was another big night for Brendan Luddy, who scored 30 points. Those 30 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Strohman, who scored 16 points.
Meanwhile, Gerstell Academy sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 54-51 win over Concordia Prep on Wednesday. The win was just what Gerstell Academy needed coming off of a 60-39 defeat in their prior match.
Manchester Valley pushed their record up to 2-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.7 points per game. As for Gerstell Academy, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Manchester Valley might still be hurting after the 75-53 defeat they got from Gerstell Academy in their previous meeting back in January of 2017. Can Manchester Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
