Having just played yesterday, the Needles Mustangs will jump right back in to play the Seligman Antelopes at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Seligman is hoping to do what Fredonia couldn't on Thursday: put an end to Needles' winning streak (dating back to last season), which now stands at five games. Needles blew past Fredonia, posting an 85-30 win.
Needles relied on the efforts of Darrell Russell, who went 9 for 16 en route to 19 points plus six steals, and Luca Walema, who went 8 for 12 en route to 17 points plus seven rebounds and three steals. Russell is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Michael Burns was another key player, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Needles was working as a unit and finished the game with 28 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.
Meanwhile, Seligman put another one in the bag last Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Mogollon with a sharp 73-47 victory. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Antelopes had established a 20 point advantage.
Carmelo Manakaja had a dynamite game for Seligman, dropping a double-double on 40 points and 13 rebounds. The matchup was Manakaja's 23rd in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Montae Walker, who had 19 points plus seven rebounds and six steals.
Seligman's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Needles, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Needles has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Seligman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
