It may have taken three quarters, but the Manhattan boys found their groove just in the nick of time.
After falling behind Topeka West by six midway through the third quarter, the Indians reeled off a 19-0 run to silence an upset threat by the Chargers on Friday. The teams entered the final period tied at 34-34, but Manhattan outscored the Chargers 15-5 in the fourth to win 49-39.
“I don’t know if there was any panic in our kids, but there was a little bit in me,” Manhattan coach Tim Brooks said. “(Topeka West) was playing really well and I thought that we came out of halftime pretty lethargic, which worried me.”
Clinging to a 26-24 lead at the break, the Indians allowed Topeka West to score the first eight points of the second half. The Chargers extended their lead to 34-28 on a bucket by Aaron Plump with less than four minutes left in the period, but Topeka West couldn’t maintain the lead.
Manhattan chipped away at the deficit and went up for good on a 3-pointer by Connor Brooks in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The Chargers couldn’t recover and dropped their second game in as many days.
Topeka West couldn’t get back into an offensive rhythm for the rest of the game. The Chargers failed to record another field goal until a 3-pointer by Plump with 1:11 left in the fourth quarter. The Indians took advantage of the Chargers’ shooting woes, connecting on several free throw attempts.
Manhattan jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter, but Topeka West battled back and forced a 16-16 tie at the end of the period.
Neither team could gain an advantage in the second quarter, as the deficit never grew to more than two points in either direction. Deante Burton gave the Indians a two-point halftime lead when he drained a layup in the final minute.
MANHATTAN GIRLS 62, TOPEKA WEST 26 — Three Manhattan players reached double figures and the Indians outscored Topeka West 23-2 in the third quarter.
The Chargers, who remain winless in Centennial League play this season, were able to keep things close early and trailed just 24-15 at the break.
But following intermission, it was all Manhattan. The Indians dominated the game on both ends of the floor, connecting on nine of 19 shot attempts in the third quarter while holding Topeka West off the scoreboard for more than six minutes.
“We had to go back to basics on both ends,” Manhattan coach Scott Mall said. “We needed to play good, basic defense. I didn’t think we did that in the first half. Topeka West works really hard. If you don’t take care of the little things, they’re going to give you trouble.”
3-point goals — Manhattan 4-12 (Brooks 3-6, Tr. Francis 1-2, D. Francis 0-1, Ty. Francis 0-1, Payne 0-2), Topeka West 3-9 (Plump 2-5, Okoronkwo 1-4). Total fouls — Manhattan 13, Topeka West 13. Fouled out — none.
3-point goals — Manhattan 4-14 (Ehie 2-3, Crusinberry 1-4, Thompson 1-5, Miller 0-1, Spilker 0-1), Topeka West 1-5 (Lutz 1-4, Copeland 0-1). Total fouls — Manhattan 9, Topeka West 13. Fouled out — none.
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