Manistee and Pine River Area are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Manistee Chippewas will look to defend their home court on Monday against the Pine River Area Bucks at 7:00 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Manistee has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Pine River Area will arrive with four straight victories.
Last Friday, Manistee was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 49-44 to Orchard View.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pine River Area). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Mancelona 76-44. The Bucks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 27 points or more this season.
Pine River Area's win came from a few key players Manistee will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Eli Smith, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 14 points in addition to six assists and five boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Mason Gugle, who went 5 for 10 on his way to 17 points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Pine River Area smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Pine River Area pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Manistee, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Manistee didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Pine River Area in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 44-40 victory. Does Manistee have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pine River Area turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
