The New Providence Pioneers waltzed into their match on Thursday with two straight wins but they left with three. They strolled past Dayton with points to spare, taking the game 56-39. Given New Providence's advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 318th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
When it comes to explaining why Dayton lost, one person who can't be blamed is Malcolm Jackson. Despite the final result, he scored 19 points along with five rebounds. It was the first time this season that Jackson scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Marcus Manfredi, who scored nine points.
New Providence is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Dayton, they dropped their record down to 5-13 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
New Providence will play host again and welcome the Dodgers, where tip off is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Dayton, they will head out on the road to square off against the Farmers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
