Basketball Game Preview: DSST: Cedar Falcons vs. Manual Thunderbolts

DSST: Cedar hasn't had much luck against Manual recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The DSST: Cedar Falcons will host the Manual Thunderbolts at 7:30 p.m. After both made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.

Having struggled with four defeats in a row, DSST: Cedar turned things around against Rocky Mountain Prep SMART on Wednesday. They breezed by the Ocelotls to the tune of 75-45. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Falcons considering their 23-point performance the matchup before.

DSST: Cedar had a senior duo take command as Isaac Jaquette went 6 of 9 on his way to 16 points and eight rebounds and Matt Stophel dropped a double-double on 11 points and 20 boards. Stophel is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least nine every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Semahje Kalanda, who went 5 for 10 en route to 13 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Manual really took it to Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy for the full four quarters, racking up a 70-43 victory. The Thunderbolts have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 27 points or more this season.

Manual pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 44 points. As for DSST: Cedar, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-7.

DSST: Cedar was dealt a bruising 89-51 loss at the hands of Manual in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Thankfully for DSST: Cedar, Deshawn Fox (who dropped a double-double on 37 points and 11 boards) 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.