The Manila Mustangs will challenge the Tabiona Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Manila is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51 points per game this season.
Manila took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They skirted past Kemmerer 55-52. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Mustangs considering their 21-point performance the contest before.
| 01/18/25 vs Kemmerer | 7 |
| 01/17/25 @ Tintic | 1 |
| 01/09/25 vs Little Snake River | 2 |
| 01/03/25 vs Tintic | 2 |
| 12/28/24 vs Rich | 0 |
Manila got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Brackin Lail out in front who went 5 for 6 on his way to 11 points and seven steals. With that strong performance, Lail is now averaging an impressive 2.2 steals per game. Ben Lail was another key player, putting up nine points in addition to five rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Tabiona took on Wendover on Saturday. Tabiona came out on top against Wendover by a score of 53-42. The score was all tied up 22-22 at the break, but the Tigers were the better team in the second half.
Tabiona's win came from a few key players Manila will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gavin Rhoades, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 18 boards. His evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Fabrizio, who went 7 of 12 en route to 17 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Tabiona pushed their record up to 11-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Manila, their win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Manila has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24 boards per game. However, it's not like Tabiona struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Manila might still be hurting after the 51-31 defeat they got from Tabiona when the teams last played back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rhoades, who went 11 for 13 on his way to 25 points and eight boards. Now that Manila knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
