After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Colorado Academy, the Manual Thunderbolts were happy to have found some success on Thursday. They came out on top against Jefferson Academy by a score of 58-48. Given Manual's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Jaguars are ranked 153rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manual's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Deshawn Fox, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Fox has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Marquell Marquez, who scored 14 points along with two steals.
Jefferson Academy's loss came despite strong showings from Josh Neely and Riley Prevost. Neely scored 21 points, while Prevost scored ten points along with six rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jimeto Orji, who scored nine points along with two blocks.
Manual's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Jefferson Academy, they dropped their record down to 9-7 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Manual will stay at home for another game and welcome the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on February 7th. As for Jefferson Academy, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against the Bluedevils at 1:15 p.m. on February 2nd. Fort Lupton knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine contests -- so hopefully the Jaguars like a good challenge.
