On Friday, February 10, the boys’ varsity basketball team traveled to Male High School for their regular season matchup.

The first quarter was a slow one for the Crimsons. Manual struggled to put up shots and keep good possession. Male’s shooting from outside the paint created a lead by the end of the first, 21-9. 

As the second quarter began, it seemed the Rams had come up out of their slow start. They limited the Bulldogs’ scoring, but still their efforts did not allow them to crack into the difference already established. At half Male led 31-17.

At the start of the second half many expected Male to continue to make big shots and control the game, but the Crimsons came out looking for a fight. Manual outscored Male in the third quarter, putting up 23 points compared to the Bulldogs’ 18. Damone King (#21, 11) put up several difficult shots in the paint and even pulled up outside for a few. All players were putting on a show in the transition and defensive end. Efforts throughout the quarter put Manual within two points of the Bulldogs in multiple instances, but with Male’s Cole Edelen (#0, 9) and Jack Edelen (#5,12) putting multiple threes on the board within the last few minutes of the quarter, Manual still fell short, 49-40. 

With pressure building for the Crimsons to cut the nine point difference in the last quarter, it became a very tight game. On multiple occasions, the Rams needed just one defensive stop to give them an opportunity to tie. Manual was unsuccessful time after time. At the two minute mark, the Bulldogs hit three after three, and the Crimsons’ unsuccessful passes and struggle to make shots left the Bulldogs with an unattainable victory over Manual. Male won 64-52.  

“I felt like we started off slow. We battled back but couldn’t stop them on the offensive end tonight,” said Damone King (#21,11). 

The boys’ last regular season game is next Tuesday at 5:45 pm. This will be a home game against CAL.