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Coming off of a comeback victory over Huntington North on Tuesday night, the Manchester girls basketball team got back to work on Wednesday night, hosting fellow area team Triton in the second night of a back-to-back. After trading the lead for the better part of three quarters, the Lady Squires took control of the game early in the fourth and didn’t look back, holding on to a 49-44 win.
It was hard for either team to get into any sort of rhythm during the first few minutes of the game, as the clock was constantly stopping and restarting for a variety of reasons. The teams combined for six fouls in the first three minutes and both sides were also having a hard time taking care of the basketball.
Manchester’s Emma Walker was a big reason her team spent most of the opening period in front, leading the charge with five early points. On the other side, Chloe McKinney matched her total in the opening eight minutes, coming up with a pair of big shots that kept Triton within striking distance.
The Lady Trojans spent a majority of the final minutes of the first down by just one point. The visitors had quite a few chances to take the lead, but the Lady Squire defense was able to keep their opponents at bay. After a quarter, Manchester led by three.
It was the Triton defense that reversed the roles in the early moments of the second, putting the clamps on the home side and going on a 5-0 run to jump in front on a triple by Mylie Groves. The Lady Trojans had a prime opportunity to grow their advantage with the Lady Squire offense still struggling, but the visitors were unable to turn their early quarter success into an extended run.
Instead, scoring came at a premium for a majority of the period. With less than two minutes left until halftime, the teams were knotted up at 15 and had been for a few minutes. It wasn’t until Groves hit her second three of the quarter with 45 seconds left that the drought finally ended. Walker added a layup a few moments later for the final points of the half. Midway through the game, Triton led by one.
After a low-scoring second quarter, both sides were able to get into an offensive groove early in the third. The lead changed hands twice in the first two minutes before Triton briefly extended its lead to four.
While the Lady Squires were unable to take the lead back for a majority of the quarter, the home side was consistently able to come up with big shots to keep things close. On two different occasions, sophomore Olivia Stevens cashed one from deep to either make it a one-point game or tie things up.
Triton senior Sierra Hawley puts on the brakes while working under the basket during the first quarter...Nieter
Each time, the Lady Trojans were able to clutch up on the other end and answer almost immediately. Groves became the first player in the game to reach double figure scoring late in the third on a layup that broke the fourth tie of the period.
It ended up being the final deadlock of the quarter, as Stevens hit two more triples in the final minutes, giving her four for the period and more importantly, also gave Manchester the lead back. The sophomore’s efforts put her team up by as many as four, but heading into the fourth, it was a two-point edge for the home team.
Just one minute into the final eight minute stretch, that advantage had been extended to seven after five straight points by junior Ava Sautter. It hovered around this point for a few minutes until Groves jumpstarted the Triton offense with another shot from deep. With four minutes left in the game, Manchester’s lead now sat at five.
Two minutes later, it was still five and neither side had added another field goal. It wasn’t until the 1:51 mark that Groves’ fifth three of the game made things a one-possession game once more.
A pair of Lady Squire free throws on the following possession gave the home side a bit of breathing room, but not nearly enough to feel comfortable with 79 seconds left. After the LAdy Trojans split a pair at the other end, the visitors were forced to play the free throw game defensively.
Walker made two separate trips to the free throw line, making three in total. Now down by six and less than 30 seconds remaining, the Lady Trojans used a quick layup and a steal on the inbound to keep a bit of hope alive. Down by four with less than three seconds left, Groves was fouled shooting a three. She’d split the first two, intentionally missing the third to try and create an offensive rebound. It would not work out that way, and Manchester was able to ice the game with two more free throws.
Groves finished with a game-high 19. Walker led the Lady Squires with 17. Stevens added 12, while McKinney had eleven.
Manchester (5-3) travels to Whitko on Friday while Triton (4-4) hosts Elkhart Christian Saturday.
