North Reading at Manchester Essex: Hornets meet in nonleague game Jan. 9

Manchester Essex Regional HS -

North Reading travels to Manchester Essex for a nonleague showdown on Friday, Jan. 9. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Manchester Essex Regional High School in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Fans can follow the action and find live updates on the SBLive game page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/games/5644550-north-reading-vs-manchester-essex.

Both programs open the 2026 slate with identical 0-0 records. The host Manchester Essex Hornets (team page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/175585-manchester-essex-hornets-fr) will look to defend home court against the North Reading Hornets (team page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/176454-north-reading-hornets-fr). With no previous meeting listed this season, Friday offers a first look at how each team shapes up.

Quick look:

• Date: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

• Site: Manchester Essex Regional High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea

• Home: Manchester Essex Hornets — SBLive page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/175585-manchester-essex-hornets-fr (fans: 0 on SBLive)

• Away: North Reading Hornets — SBLive page: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/teams/176454-north-reading-hornets-fr (fans: 1 on SBLive)

Streaming information:

• Manchester Essex streaming: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/manchester-essex-regional-high-school-manchester-ma/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

• North Reading streaming: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/north-reading-high-school-north-reading-ma/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

Note the Hornets have back-to-back league action on the schedule after Friday: Manchester Essex is next at Georgetown on Jan. 13 (3:30 p.m. ET) and North Reading heads to Lynnfield on Jan. 13 (4 p.m. ET). You can follow those matchups from each team’s SBLive page.

Get involved: follow the teams on SBLive to increase their fan counts and make your picks for the game — picks are for fun and help drive fan engagement. Current SBLive follower and pick totals can change, so check the team pages and the game link for the latest updates: https://scorebooklive.com/massachusetts/basketball/games/5644550-north-reading-vs-manchester-essex. Picks are for entertainment only and are not tied to any win-chance projections.