Rice's Marcus Willingham will help defend MMU's Tom Lacy when the two teams meet tonight.
Two Division I boys basketball title contenders face off at Rice Memorial High School tonight. Mt. Mansfield (11-0) puts their perfect start to the season on the line versus the defending D-I champion Rice (9-1). The Green Knights have only one loss on the season—a season-opening defeat at Mt. Mansfield. Since then, Rice has spun off nine straight victories.
“We will need all cylinders firing to compete Thursday night,” says Mt. Mansfield head coach Jeff Davis. “I still feel like we have not had a game where all of our players have played to their potential.”
The Cougars have a deep team with a large arsenal of scorers. Leading the way for MMU is senior Tom Lacy who has averaged just under 16 points and six rebounds a game. Eric Suder is a strong post threat and will present a matchup challenge for Rice.
But the Cougars have really shined on the defensive end. Mt. Mansfield has allowed a Division I-low 35.5 points per game. MMU’s Cody Sharrow and Hayden Pochop have played solid defense all season and were successful in containing Rice’s Casey Tipson in their first matchup. However, Tipson’s role in the Rice offense has changed, which will present new challenges for MMU.
First Meeting on Dec 13: MMU 45, Rice 32
Cody Sharrow had 13 points and 9 rebounds for MMU while Eric Suder added 12 points and Tom Lacy scored 9 points. Rice was held to just 32 points—29 points lower than their season average. Will Conroy was Rice’s top scorer with 8 points. Casey Tipson added 6 points. Read Recap
“Rice is a much better team than when we played them,” says Davis. “They have consistently placed three to four players in double figures every night and their defense has been terrific. Tipson is able to get out and run a little more off the ball.”
The Green Knights are the highest scoring team in Division I so far, which makes them a compelling test for MMU. Along with Tipson, Rice has multiple players who can score in the teens including Marcus Willingham, Jake Maynard, and Tim Rensch. Rice’s Rensch has been grabbing double-digit rebounds all season and will need to do so tonight for Rice to be successful. Rensch was in early foul trouble at MMU back in December which helped MMU isolate the other Green Knight scorers and control rebounds.
Both Rice and Mt. Mansfield have gelled as teams since their opening game last month and Davis is eager to see where his team stands now that both teams are in the second half of their schedule.
“Our defense has been steady, and we have been able to score in transition,” says Davis. “We are really excited about playing Thursday night.”
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