The Nipmuc Regional Warriors waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 56-45 victory over Whitinsville Christian. Given Nipmuc Regional's advantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts basketball rankings (they are ranked 81st, while the Crusaders are ranked 201st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nipmuc Regional's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from James McKinney, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 16 rebounds. McKinney hasn't dropped below 16 points for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Chase Kelly, who scored 14 points.
Whitinsville Christian lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Zeke Plantinga, who scored 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zach Casey, who scored 13 points.
Nipmuc Regional's win bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Whitinsville Christian, they dropped their record down to 6-6 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Nipmuc Regional will square off against the Spartans at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Whitinsville Christian, they will head out on the road to square off against the Blue Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopedale has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
