The Manning Monarchs won the last time they faced the Aynor Blue Jackets, and things went their way on Friday too. Manning snuck past Aynor with a 54-49 victory. Given Manning's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 121st, while Aynor is ranked 284th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manning's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lovell Stevenson, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Stevenson has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tavion Carter, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Aynor's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Austin Tanyika, who scored 13 points along with nine rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Robinson Mendez, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds.
The victory makes it two in a row for Manning and bumps their season record up to 13-8. As for Aynor, they are on a 12-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-17.
Manning will head out on the road to square off against Georgetown at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Aynor, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Dillon at 7:45 p.m. Dillon will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
