3 Takeaways: Manual vs Urbana

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tuesday night we caught a central Illinois contest between Peoria Manual and Urbana.&nbsp; Manual was on their home floor and without their star [player_tooltip player_id='1576114' first='Dietrich' last='Richardson'].&nbsp; It was a low scoring contest and Urbana led after three quarters, but Manual found a way to pull it out late winning 48-44.&nbsp; Here are our <strong>3 Takeaways: Manual vs Urbana</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seniors Step Up in Key Moments with Star Out for Manual</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With Richardson not playing it was the depth of Manual that got them the win.&nbsp; Their best player in this game was 6'3” senior Terrance Paige.&nbsp; He is a physical small forward that rebounded well, finished in the paint, and played with physicality.&nbsp; High-motor kid went for 14 points.&nbsp; Point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2452449' first='Daniel' last='Finley'] is a speedy guard who pushes the pace in the open floor.&nbsp; Had a couple of blow by straight line takes along with a coast to coast finish for 7 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2321406' first='Amare' last='Breedlove'] is an energetic and bouncy post that is quick to the glass on both ends.&nbsp; Had a put back along with hitting a three from the top of the key for 5 points.&nbsp; Lefty small forward Caden Latta flashed especially early with a crisp pull up in the mid-range off a dribble handoff.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Humbles and Bradford Have Highest Ceiling on Rams Squad</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their two best prospects on the floor in this game were younger players.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105417' first='Joshua' last='Humbles'] is a strong bodied and super athletic small forward that is a force in the open floor with a head of steam behind him.&nbsp; Converted out of the dunker spot, got to the foul line, rebounded at a good clip, and was a plus defender.&nbsp; He had 8 points.&nbsp; Bradford is a long and wiry combo guard that flashed passing off live dribbles along with a nice dime after he got a steal.&nbsp; Scored four points, but contributed in numerous areas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pair of 2026 Wings Emerge for Urbana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I came away impressed with a few new names for Urbana.  [player_tooltip player_id='2734431' first='Jaylen' last='McElmurray'] is a 6'4” small forward that was a plus rebounder in this game.  Always seemed to have a nose for the basketball.  Good athlete that hit a three off the catch, euro step for an and-1, and got a bucket on a back cut.  Blocked a couple shots on the defensive end.  He had 16 points in the loss.  [player_tooltip player_id='2734442' first='Jesse' last='Mfwamba'] is a thick 6'4” wing that liked to attack downhill with power, hit a mid-range pull up, as well as a three.  Showed potential in a 9 point effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->