The Manual Thunderbolts waltzed into their matchup on Wednesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 68-60 win over Stargate School. Given Manual's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Eagles are ranked 126th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manual's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marquell Marquez, who scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Marquez is crushing the point category: he's posted at least 15 every time he's taken the court this season. Deshawn Fox was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Several Eagles players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Hunter Roark, who scored 18 points along with five assists and two steals. Roark hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Connor Rusch, who scored 17 points along with two blocks.
Manual's win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-2. As for Stargate School, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Manual will take on the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Allowing an average of 52.8 points per game, Colorado Academy has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this contest. As for Stargate School, they will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Generals at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Arrupe Jesuit focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Thursday.
