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Starting to build some momentum with three wins in the last six games, the Manchester boys basketball team returned to action for the first time in 2026 looking to pick up its first Three Rivers Conference victory of the season against Northwestern. The team battled valiantly at home on Friday night, but came up empty in a 62-39 loss to the Tigers.
The Squire offense struggled to get anything going in the early stages of the game, as the Northwestern defense was giving the home side a very difficult time. The Tigers were anticipating a lot of the action, leading to turnovers and easy baskets. It took three minutes before Lincoln Young scored the first Manchester basket, allowing Northwestern to build an early lead.
It wasn’t the largest of advantages though, and eventually, the Squires were able to begin moving the ball around and were rewarded for it with points. The home side was able to get within four late in the period, but one final charge by the visitors in the final minute made it a nine-point edge for the Tigers headed into the second.
That lead reached double figures early on in the following quarter as the Manchester offense was struggling to consistently put points on the board.
Midway through the second, the home side finally got a spark as five straight points by Dallas Martin sandwiched between two Northwestern turnovers tightened things up a bit. However, the visitors quickly nipped that in the bud with a 9-2 run on the other end that erased all the progress the home team had made and then some.
Sophomore Wyatt Schroll of Manchester focuses on the basket during Friday night's home game against Northfield...Nieter
As was the case a quarter prior, the Tigers finished off the second with another flurry, which allowed them to double up their opponent and take a 34-17 lead into the break. Manchester had gotten some good looks in the minutes leading up to halftime, but were unable to get them to fall.
It remained a difficult night for the Squires as the second half got going, as it took nearly three minutes for a Nolan Hernandez triple to end the scoring drought. On the other side, Northwestern was having no such problems, going up by as many as 19 before the home side ended the run.
It would be another two minutes before a breakaway layup by Wyatt Schroll gave the home side another two points. It was just one of those nights for Manchester, as during this stretch, the team had not one but two layups inexplicably rimmed in and out.
The Squires ended the third quarter on a relative hot streak, but still trailed by 17 heading into the fourth. Schroll was about the only consistent offensive option for the home side, beating the buzzer with a layup to give himself 12 points for the game. However, if Manchester wanted to pull off a miracle, he was going to need some help.
After two minutes of the fourth had gone by, the Squires were no closer to coming back. Led by Colin Cook and Henry Neher, Northwestern was playing like a well-oiled machine. Always making the right pass, seemingly winning all of the 50-50 balls. The Tigers were playing incredibly efficiently and the scoreboard was reflecting that.
As substitutes for both sides began to make up a majority of the players on the court as the final minutes ticked away, the pace slowed down considerably. With the outcome decided already, both teams went through the motions until the final buzzer.
Manchester (3-7, 0-2 TRC) hosts Fort Wayne Canterbury on Tuesday.
