The Nipmuc Regional Warriors had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 69-51 victory over Hopedale. That's another feather in the cap for Nipmuc Regional, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Nipmuc Regional's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was James McKinney, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 rebounds. The match was McKinney's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Chase Kelly, who scored 16 points.
Patrick Madden and Robbie Manning certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Madden scored 17 points, while Manning scored 17 points. Madden scored a full 33.3% of Hopedale's points, the seventh time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cam Parker , who scored seven points.
Nipmuc Regional's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for Hopedale, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Nipmuc Regional will challenge Blackstone-Millville at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Blackstone-Millville is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak. As for Hopedale, they will head out on the road to face off against Douglas at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Massachusetts (Douglas is ranked 165th, while Hopedale is ranked 183rd).
