Basketball Recap: Mercyhurst Prep Extends Winning Streak to Four

While Mercyhurst Prep's win against Erie First Christian Academy wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Mercyhurst Prep Lakers narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Erie First Christian Academy 72-69. The win was familiar territory for the Lakers who have now won four games in a row.

Mercyhurst Prep had a senior duo take command as Alex Manendo dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten boards and Tanner Ashton posted 25 points in addition to six assists and six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Manendo has scored all season. Another player making a difference was James Risto, who earned nine points.

Mercyhurst Prep smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Erie First Christian Academy lost on Monday despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Tyshaun Tate, who scored 18 points. Tate continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Collins, who had 17 points along with eight rebounds and six assists.

Mercyhurst Prep has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.3 points per game. As for Erie First Christian Academy, they dropped their record down to 7-6 with the defeat, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Mercyhurst Prep will venture away from home to square off against Windber at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Mercyhurst Prep's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six games. As for Erie First Christian Academy, they will host Union City at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.