The Manchester Squires will head out on the road to face off against the Whitko Wildcats at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Manchester had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They walked away with a 68-61 victory over Huntington North. With that victory, Manchester brought their scoring average up to 50.9 points per game.
Manchester's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Emma Walker, who scored 24 points along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals. That makes it two consecutive games in which Walker has scored at least 25% of Manchester's points. Another player making a difference was Brookelynn Buzzard, who scored 18 points along with 8 assists.
Meanwhile, Whitko entered their tilt with North Miami with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Whitko took down North Miami 57-42 on Saturday.
Whitko can attribute much of their success to Braisha Harrison, who scored 16 points. Reese Stonebraker was another key contributor, scoring 7 points along with 6 steals.
Manchester's win lifted them to 6-4 while Huntington North's loss dropped them down to 2-5.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Manchester have been dynamite from deep this season, having only drained 34.5% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Whitko struggles in that department as they've nailed 37.9% of theirs this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Manchester strolled past Whitko in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 by a score of 46-30. The rematch might be a little tougher for Manchester since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
