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Coming into Friday’s contest as winners of six of the last seven games, the Manchester boys basketball team has been playing its best ball of the year as the regular season winds down. Taking on Three Rivers Conference foe Maconaquah, the Squires continued their stellar play, going up big early on and staying there in a 56-37 win.
It was the defenses of both teams that took control of the game in the opening minutes, as the two sides combined for just one field goal by the time they reached the midway point of the first quarter. Each side was closing out on shooters, helping near the basket and jumping into passing lanes to keep the game tight.
Eventually, the Squires were able to start turning their defense into easy offense. Back to back Maconaquah possessions ended in steals for Aaron Reid and Wyatt Schroll, who each raced down to the other end and converted on breakaway layups to put their side in front. After a slow start to the contest, the home side got it going in the latter half of the first, taking a 10-7 lead after eight minutes.
The offense continued to roll early in the second, scoring four points in the first 45 seconds to force a timeout by the Braves. Schroll was front and center of the attack, speedily making his way down the floor on a series of fast breaks to pick up some easy buckets for his team.
As the quarter wore on, the Squires began to take complete control. With five minutes until halftime, the home side had already outscored their opponent 13-1 in the period and had taken a 15-point lead on a triple by Sam Winger. Despite going the following three minutes without a bucket, Manchester’s defense was still performing strongly, keeping them up by double digits.
Another burst by Schroll in the final minute before the break extended the Squire lead to 17, while giving him 12 first-half points in the process. After starting and ending the second quarter by playing some really good basketball, Manchester was in good shape heading into the second half.
Manchester senior Carson Heath shoots over Maconaquah's Marcell Sims during the first quarter...Nieter
The trends of the game continued well into the third quarter, and after a few minutes, the Squire lead had grown to over 20. The Braves were having a hard time keeping up offensively, but the visitors were also not getting any help from the officiating. More than a few questionable decisions had gone against Maconaquah all night, but it seemed to be boiling over here in the second half.
Reid joined Schroll in double figures in the latter half of the quarter, but it was a total team effort for the home side. All five players were giving it their all defensively, which played a big role in the Braves coming up empty handed on a majority of possessions. Despite Schroll and Reid ending most possessions by scoring the baskets, a lot of their shots were the direct result of some great passes by their teammates to create the open looks.
After being held in check for a majority of the game thus far, Maconaquah showed some life in the final minutes of the third. Down by as many as 21, the visitors continued to chip away at the deficit. With eight minutes left, they had made it much more manageable, trailing by 14 heading into the fourth.
Three minutes into the quarter, the visitors had only been able to make up another point, now trailing by a bakers dozen. That was as close as they’d get, as the Squires were able to come up with a perfectly timed run, spearheaded by Schroll to go back up by 20 with a little over three minutes left in the game. Schroll’s quickness had been a problem for Maconaquah all night long, but as the game wore on and players were starting to tire out, it became an even bigger advantage.
That final run ended up serving as the dagger, as after Manchester went up by 20, both sides ended up emptying their benches. Schroll finished his night with 24 points, while Reid added 12.
Manchester (10-10, 5-3 TRC) will host Whitko on Tuesday.
