vs
| 12/14/23 - Home | 84-49 W |
| 01/14/23 - Away | 54-43 W |
| 01/19/16 - Away | 84-63 W |
| 01/03/15 - Away | 49-33 W |
Manual has gone 4-0 against Kennedy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Manual Thunderbolts will be playing in front of their home fans against the Kennedy Commanders at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Manual's favor as the team sits on seven straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Kennedy has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Last Friday, Manual was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 68-62 to DSST: Cedar. While the Thunderbolts didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Falcons 18-14 in the first quarter.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Nigel Jones, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Marco Arriaga, who went 5 of 10 en route to 16 points.
Meanwhile, Kennedy played a tough match on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by DSST: Conservatory Green and fell 84-42. While losing is never fun, the Commanders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 323rd, while the Hornets are ranked 120th).
Manual will have to contain Anthony Zink as he made an impact in Kennedy's last game. He went 6 for 10 on his way to 16 points. That was a full 38.1% of Kennedy's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Isaac Trujillo, who put up six points in addition to five assists and five boards.
Kennedy's loss dropped their record down to 1-11. As for Manual, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Manual has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Manual against Kennedy when the teams last played back in December of 2023, as the squad secured an 84-49 victory. Will Manual repeat their success, or does Kennedy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
