Basketball Game Preview: Rochester Zebras vs. Manchester Squires

Rochester hasn't had much luck against Manchester recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Rochester Zebras will challenge the Manchester Squires at 6:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Rochester is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 64-51 win over Eastern.

Meanwhile, Manchester's game on Friday was all tied up 31-31 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They strolled past Mississinewa with points to spare, taking the game 61-46. Given the Squires' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 57th, while the Indians are ranked 241st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Rochester better keep an eye on Gavin Betten. He was instrumental in Manchester's win, almost dropping a double-double with 35 points and nine boards. The contest was Betten's 18th in a row with at least 18 points. Another player making a difference was Ethan Hendrix, who posted 18 points and six steals.

Rochester is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points over those games. The victory made it two in a row for Manchester and bumps their season record up to 20-2.

Rochester might still be hurting after the 70-45 defeat they got from Manchester in their previous matchup back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Betten, who dropped a double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Now that Rochester knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.