The Menahga Braves will head out on the road to take on the Park Rapids Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Menahga has struggled recently with six defeats in a row, while Park Rapids will arrive with six straight victories.
Menahga pushed their score all the way to 65 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell to Wadena-Deer Creek 70-65. That's two games in a row now that Menahga has lost by exactly five points.
Even though Park Rapids has not done well against Barnesville recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Park Rapids came out on top against Barnesville by a score of 79-71. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Park Rapids got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ryan Carroll out in front who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds. Carroll is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Noah Larson, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Menahga bumped their record down to 3-8 with that loss, which was their fourth straight at home. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.5 points per game. As for Park Rapids, their win bumped their record up to 8-4.
Menahga was dealt a bruising 83-46 defeat at the hands of Park Rapids in their previous matchup back in January of 2023. Can Menahga avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
