Even though the Richfield Wildcats have not done well against the Manti Templars recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Richfield sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 60-58 win over Manti. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Miles Barnett was his usual excellent self, scoring 24 points along with three steals. Those three steals set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Hudson Spell, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds.
Despite the loss, Manti had strong showings from Reggie Frischknecht, who scored 20 points along with eight rebounds, and Jessen Barton, who scored 15 points along with six assists and three steals. The game was Frischknecht's 11th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Thomas, who scored 13 points.
The victory got Richfield back to even at 5-5. As for Manti, they bumped their record down to 7-4 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
Richfield will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Emery at 7:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. Manti will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against Delta at 7:00 p.m. on December 28th. Delta is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
