The Manti Templars will be playing at home against the Juab Wasps at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Manti suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Maple Mountain by a score of 45-43. While losing is never fun, Manti can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 86th, while Maple Mountain is ranked 28th).
Manti's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Cadee Alder, who scored 18 points along with three steals, and June Olsen who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. Olsen has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times she's played.
Meanwhile, Juab was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 48-42 to Richfield. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Juab in their matchups with Richfield: they've now lost seven in a row.
Manti has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-9 record this season. As for Juab, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-6.
Manti and Juab were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in February of 2023, but Manti came up empty-handed after a 57-56 loss. Thankfully for Manti, Avia Stowell (who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
