The Mandeville Skippers will be playing at home against the Hammond Tornadoes at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mandeville will be looking to extend their current 11-game winning streak.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 22 to 2 on the offensive boards, a fact Mandeville proved on Thursday. They enjoyed a cozy 63-46 victory over Salmen. Given Mandeville's advantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Spartans are ranked 84th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mandeville relied on the efforts of Alanna Benoit, who scored 25 points along with seven rebounds, and Saleigh Berry, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 12 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Berry has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Hannah Benoit, who scored eight points along with 11 rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Hammond was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 47-41 to the Panthers. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Hammond in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now lost four in a row.
Mandeville is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 24-5 record this season. As for Hammond, their loss was their sixth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 13-13.
Everything came up roses for Mandeville against the Tornadoes in their previous matchup back in January as the team secured a 67-30 victory. Does Mandeville have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tornadoes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
