After a string of eight wins, the Manchester Blue Devils's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They took a 63-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Macon County. While losing is never fun, Manchester can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 302nd, while Macon County is ranked 144th).
When it comes to explaining why Manchester lost, one person who can't be blamed is Daryus Bryant. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. Treylen Jones was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, Manchester smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 30 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Macon County only pulled down 22 offensive rebounds.
Macon County was led to victory by Frankie Raines Jr and Dontavious Collier. Raines Jr scored 24 points along with five rebounds, while Collier dropped a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds. Collier is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last 19 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Tyler Stephens, who scored 12 points along with two steals.
Manchester's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-6. As for Macon County, their win was their 24th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-3.
Manchester will head out on the road to face off against Schley County at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Manchester is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 54.4 points per game this season. As for Macon County, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Central at 7:30 p.m. Macon County has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 1,099 points over their last 15 matchups.
