Basketball Recap: J.L. Mann Comes Up Short

J.L. Mann was the 67-55 winner over Easley when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. The J.L. Mann Patriots took an 82-77 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Easley Green Wave. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game two weeks ago (64), the Patriots still had to take the loss.

Despite the loss, J.L. Mann still got an impressive performance from Dontez Walker, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 19 rebounds. That's the most boards Walker has posted since back in December of 2023. Pierce Froehlich was another key player, going 6 of 8 on his way to 15 points.

Even though they lost, J.L. Mann smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 19 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.

Ethan Crews was his usual excellent self, going 10 of 20 on his way to 28 points and six rebounds for Easley. That makes it three consecutive games in which Crews has scored at least a third of Easley's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Miles Campbell, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 17 points and seven assists.

J.L. Mann's defeat was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Easley, their win was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 9-5.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. J.L. Mann will host Mauldin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. J.L. Mann knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Mauldin likes a good challenge. As for Easley, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Woodmont at 7:30 p.m.