Squires Comeback Bid Falls Short
March 4, 2020 at 5:37 a.m.
By Chip Davenport-
The comeback fell short, and their season ended with a 58-56 loss to Fort Wayne Canterbury Tuesday.
Senior forward Thane Creager and junior guard Weston Hamby combined for 7 of those 10 points along with a net-ripping 3 from Caleb Stout as the two teams tied for the first time since the early first quarter, with 5:11 left in the game.
The Squires’ offensive streak was aided by holding the Cavaliers’ two leading scorers, Noah Drapala and William Shank (combined average of 32 points per game) to only two fourth quarter points between them. It was, however, a night where the victors would count on their floor leader, point guard Holidey Stephenson, with his top scorers neutralized, to make two consecutive spin-move layups to take the lead for good 56-52 with 1:58 remaining in the final stanza. Stephenson did not play in Manchester’s 68-59 regular season win over their tournament guests.
“We beat them in the regular season, and Stephenson was out. He made the difference tonight. We didn’t digress from our earlier win. They just had their floor leader in place tonight.” said Manchester head coach Mark Underwood.
It was a game of streaks in each quarter. Manchester fans witnessed an opening 10-0 run when Weston Hamby had two feeds to Kreeden Krull inside and one to Caleb Stout for a 3 deep in the left corner and maintained a 15-10 lead after one frame.
The Cavaliers opened the second stanza with a 14-0 run with two 3s from Drapala and 3 slick layups from Shank with some help from their friends, taking control of the contest 28-22 at halftime. The run was also a showcase of the victors’ aggressive ball-hawking, picking up six points off turnovers in a stretch where Manchester went scoreless for 5:29.
Each team put on a display of balanced offensive scoring. Canterbury was led by Shank (15 points, 7 rebounds), Drapala (13 points), Stephenson (12 points) with help from center Christopher Diwiss (10 points, 5 rebounds) and forward Jack Royster (8 points). They also hit 13 of 17 free throw attempts.
Manchester’s efforts by committee included Hamby’s 13 points and 4 assists, Creager’s 11 points (three 3s) and 3 assists, Kreeden Krull’s 9 points and 7 boards, along with Stout (8 points), Alex Carter (8 points, 9 caroms) and Austin Underwood (7 points).
“I am very proud of the guys for how they didn’t give up tonight, their toughness, how they battled. You want to win, and when you don’t, you’re disappointed if your guys didn’t leave it all out on the floor, but they left it all out there. They refused to die, the refused to give up.” Underwood said of their fight to the final buzzer.
“I told them I was proud of (the seniors), and it was an honor to coach them the last four years. They’re a great group of kids. They’re going to be a success in life whatever they decide to do. They’re going to make great community members, hopefully here in Manchester.”
The Squires end their season at 9-13. Canterbury advances to Friday’s sectional semifinal to battle Wabash (19-4), a 53-44 winner over Bluffton in Tuesday’s opening game.
The comeback fell short, and their season ended with a 58-56 loss to Fort Wayne Canterbury Tuesday.
Senior forward Thane Creager and junior guard Weston Hamby combined for 7 of those 10 points along with a net-ripping 3 from Caleb Stout as the two teams tied for the first time since the early first quarter, with 5:11 left in the game.
The Squires’ offensive streak was aided by holding the Cavaliers’ two leading scorers, Noah Drapala and William Shank (combined average of 32 points per game) to only two fourth quarter points between them. It was, however, a night where the victors would count on their floor leader, point guard Holidey Stephenson, with his top scorers neutralized, to make two consecutive spin-move layups to take the lead for good 56-52 with 1:58 remaining in the final stanza. Stephenson did not play in Manchester’s 68-59 regular season win over their tournament guests.
“We beat them in the regular season, and Stephenson was out. He made the difference tonight. We didn’t digress from our earlier win. They just had their floor leader in place tonight.” said Manchester head coach Mark Underwood.
It was a game of streaks in each quarter. Manchester fans witnessed an opening 10-0 run when Weston Hamby had two feeds to Kreeden Krull inside and one to Caleb Stout for a 3 deep in the left corner and maintained a 15-10 lead after one frame.
The Cavaliers opened the second stanza with a 14-0 run with two 3s from Drapala and 3 slick layups from Shank with some help from their friends, taking control of the contest 28-22 at halftime. The run was also a showcase of the victors’ aggressive ball-hawking, picking up six points off turnovers in a stretch where Manchester went scoreless for 5:29.
Each team put on a display of balanced offensive scoring. Canterbury was led by Shank (15 points, 7 rebounds), Drapala (13 points), Stephenson (12 points) with help from center Christopher Diwiss (10 points, 5 rebounds) and forward Jack Royster (8 points). They also hit 13 of 17 free throw attempts.
Manchester’s efforts by committee included Hamby’s 13 points and 4 assists, Creager’s 11 points (three 3s) and 3 assists, Kreeden Krull’s 9 points and 7 boards, along with Stout (8 points), Alex Carter (8 points, 9 caroms) and Austin Underwood (7 points).
“I am very proud of the guys for how they didn’t give up tonight, their toughness, how they battled. You want to win, and when you don’t, you’re disappointed if your guys didn’t leave it all out on the floor, but they left it all out there. They refused to die, the refused to give up.” Underwood said of their fight to the final buzzer.
“I told them I was proud of (the seniors), and it was an honor to coach them the last four years. They’re a great group of kids. They’re going to be a success in life whatever they decide to do. They’re going to make great community members, hopefully here in Manchester.”
The Squires end their season at 9-13. Canterbury advances to Friday’s sectional semifinal to battle Wabash (19-4), a 53-44 winner over Bluffton in Tuesday’s opening game.
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