The Laurence Manning Academy Swampcats will head out on the road to face off against the Wilson Hall Barons at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Laurence Manning Academy will be strutting in after a victory while Wilson Hall will be coming in after a loss.
Even though Laurence Manning Academy has not done well against Trinity Collegiate recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Laurence Manning Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Trinity Collegiate and snuck past 65-62. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Laurence Manning Academy can attribute much of their success to Shane Goines, who scored 22 points, and Josiah Burson, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Thomas Sumpter, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Wilson Hall fought the good fight in their overtime game against Cardinal Newman on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 61-54 to the Cardinals. Wilson Hall found out winning isn't easy when you're outrebounded 18 to ten on offense.
Despite their loss, Wilson Hall saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Daniel Burton, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Burton hasn't dropped below two blocks for 12 straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Jones Deschamps, who scored eight points.
Laurence Manning Academy is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. As for Wilson Hall, their loss dropped their record down to 19-7.
Laurence Manning Academy came up short against Wilson Hall in their previous meeting back in January, falling 63-53. Can Laurence Manning Academy avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
