Wilmington is 2-8 against Manteno since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Wilmington Wildcats duke it out with the Manteno Panthers at 6:45 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Wilmington is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 66-65 to Reed-Custer.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ryan Kettman, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards. That's the most points he has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Lucas Rink, who went 6 of 11 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Manteno came up short against St. Joseph-Ogden on Wednesday and fell 61-52. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 305th, while the Spartans are ranked 102nd).
Manteno has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 12-9 record this season. As for Wilmington, their loss dropped their record down to 13-7.
Wilmington lost to Manteno at home by a decisive 57-38 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Will Wilmington have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
