The Maconaquah Braves will challenge the Western Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Maconaquah knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past eight matchups -- so hopefully Western likes a good challenge.
Maconaquah had to skate by with only a one-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 21-point drubbing they dealt Rochester on Friday. Maconaquah blew past Rochester 82-61. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Braves have posted since January 31st.
Josiah Ball
| 02/28/25 vs Rochester | 36 |
| 02/22/25 @ Plymouth | 22 |
| 02/21/25 vs Manchester | 28 |
| 02/18/25 @ Northfield | 28 |
| 02/14/25 vs Southwood | 17 |
| 02/11/25 @ Carroll | 33 |
Maconaquah's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josiah Ball, who almost dropped a double-double with 36 points and nine rebounds. The game was Ball's sixth in a row with at least 17 points. AJ Kelly was another key player, shooting 73% from the field to rack up 22 points and three blocks.
Maconaquah was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They are 15-2 when they've passed the ball that well.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Western took on Carroll on Tuesday. Western took a 57-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Carroll. The Panthers' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Maconaquah will have to contain Carter Biggs as he made an impact in Western's last game. He almost dropped a double-double with 17 points and nine boards. What's more, Biggs racked up six assists, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Thurston, who posted nine points.
Western's loss dropped their record down to 13-10. As for Maconaquah, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Maconaquah has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Western struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Maconaquah didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Western in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 72-68 victory. Will Maconaquah repeat their success, or does Western have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
