BUNKER HILL - Going into Tuesday's basketball game at Maconaquah, the Manchester Squires had a score to settle.

Last season Maconaquah knocked the 18-2 Squires out of the sectional in the first round by beating them 75-61.

Tuesday night, Manchester returned the favor by defeating the Braves 73-60.

The game started with a bang when Manchester's Rex Reimer nailed a three-point shot to put Manchester up 3-0.

Maconaquah answered with a two-point goal of its own, but converted it to a three-point play after a foul was called.

The first quarter was back and forth for the first few minutes, but by the beginning of the second, Manchester held an 18-13 lead.

Manchester exploded for 21 points in the second quarter and went to the locker room with a 39-29 halftime lead.

Eric Swan had a perfect third quarter, hitting 3 of 3 field goals and 3 of 3 free throws for nine points, but the Braves came out of the locker room ready to play after the halftime break.

In the third quarter, Maconaquah outscored the Squires 13-16 to cut the Manchester lead to seven.

Cory Burns scored 10 of the Braves' 16 third-quarter points, nailing two three-pointers and two field goals.

The third quarter seemed to be a wake-up call for the Squires, who allowed Maconaquah to score just 15 points to their 21.

Reimer led the Squire attack in the fourth, hitting 2 of 2 field goals and 4 of 4 free throws for eight points.

With 2:32 remaining in the game, Maconaquah's leading scorer, Blake Betzner, fouled out, leaving Maconaquah with a large gap to fill.

By the end of the fourth quarter, the Squires had defeated the Braves on their home court 73-60.

"We were good in certain spots, and not so good in other instances," said Manchester head coach Gary Goshert. "We had some spurts offensively and defensively."

Swan led Manchester with 26 points and five rebounds. He went 10-11 from the charity stripe.

"Eric did a good job for us in a lot of instances," said Goshert. "But what was big for us was our support off the bench."

Much of that support came from Lee Shafer who added 12 points and seven rebounds to the Squire effort.

"Shafer did an excellent job," said Goshert. "He added some points offensively and got some key rebounds and steals."

Overall, Goshert felt that defense was the key to this contest, and Manchester made some important defensive plays to earn the victory.

"We made some crucial defensive stops," said Goshert. "I think this game helped the kids realize how important the defensive end of the floor is."

The Squires travel to Southwood Friday where they will play their third away game in a row.

"Maybe it's good to start on the road," said Goshert. "Playing games on a team's home floor give us good experience." [[In-content Ad]]