NORTH MANCHESTER - It was a game both Manchester and Warsaw needed.

The Tigers, having not played much in the past couple of weeks because of postponed games, wanted to just get a game under their belts before finishing up the season with a tough stretch that includes three key Northern Lakes Conference teams.

The Squires, having enjoyed a resurgence this season with a 10-4 mark, wanted to see how they would stack up facing probably their toughest team so far this year.

Both teams got pretty much what they wanted.

Warsaw shook off the rust as well as Manchester, 59-43, but the Squires showed that they are better than in past years and stayed right with the Tigers for three quarters.

"I thought we played real well with them," Manchester coach Jody Shewman said. "In the past, we have been blown out by 25 or 30 (points). We stuck right with them. We worked hard. It is a good experience for the girls to play against someone of that caliber into the tournament."

Manchester was right with Warsaw until late in the third quarter when super sophomore Megan Eckert suffered a scrape on her right (shooting hand). Her three-pointer had just brought the Squires to within 44-37. Eckert came to the sidelines for a timeout minutes later after committing a foul in a tangle on defense and was shaking and rubbing the back of her right hand.

Eckert, who was 4-for-4 in the third quarter with nine points before the injury, missed seven straight after and did not score another point in the game. She finished with 18 points.

"She scraped her hand," Shewman said. "It affected her a little bit. It bothered her a little bit, and she came over for timeouts and it was stiff and sore. That wasn't the only thing that hurt us."

Warsaw outscored Manchester 15-6 after Eckert's injury.

"Eckert is a player," Warsaw coach Will Wienhorst said. "She can shoot the basketball. It had to affect her some."

The Tigers, enjoying a big height advantage, did their damage inside against the smaller Squires. Warsaw's 5-foot-10 Tiffany Ross, 5-9 Sherri Ross and 6-0 Katie Elliott combined for 40 of the 59 points and 19 of the Tigers' 30 rebounds.

Warsaw constantly used a lob pass over the top of Manchester's defense, and when that didn't work or they missed the shot, the Tigers usually got the rebound, winning the battle of the boards 30-16.

"They are big, and we are small," Shewman said. "So, they powered it inside big time. We did our best."

Warsaw got the production it needed when it counted the most, hitting on 5 of 10 shots in the fourth quarter and 4 of 4 from the free throw line. Manchester struggled in the final frame, hitting on only 2 of 14 from the field.

"We got a little flustered," Shewman said of Manchester's fourth quarter. "We were working hard, but we didn't get a whole lot called for us and our shots wouldn't fall. We missed a couple of layups, and they got frustrated. They are more experienced and skilled than we are. We are coming around."

Missing guard Sheila Whitaker with a sprained ankle, the Tigers got a big bonus when senior Sarah Calhoun stepped into Whitaker's starting spot and went for 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field.

"Sarah stepped it up," Wienhorst said. "Last year, she couldn't play for half the season because of an injury and came back and played strong. I guess she figured it is time to start playing. She has played her best basketball she has played all year in the last three games."

The Squires started strong, taking a 9-6 lead in the first quarter behind four points from Eckert. But the Ross sisters, Tiffany and Sherri, went to work and brought Warsaw back, eventually taking the lead 10-9 and building it to 22-15 by the end of the first quarter.

Warsaw shot 10 of 15 from the field in the first quarter, but found itself in foul trouble and sent Manchester to the line for the bonus situation late in the first frame.

The Squires took advantage and hit on 11 of 13 from the free throw line and kept things relatively close at halftime, trailing 37-26.

"That was one of the goals we didn't do," Wienhorst said. "I told them that they didn't want to put Manchester on the line because they are great shooters. And when we did foul them, it wasn't taking the ball to the basket, but it was 30 feet from the basket when we would foul them."

Warsaw, on the otherhand, struggled at the line and made only 2 of 8 from the charity stripe. But the Tigers turned both of those trends around in the second half. Warsaw hit on 3 of 4 in the third quarter and all four attempts in the fourth, while Manchester was only 2 of 2 in the entire second half.

The Squires still stayed close as Eckert got hot, hitting three field goals and then a three-pointer for nine of Manchester's 11 points to start the second half. But in a tussle for the ball, Eckert picked up her lone foul of the game and worse yet, injured that sizzling right hand.

"Manchester is a good basketball team," Wienhorst said. "In the first half, we really excited about what we did offensively. You look over the course of this year, and we have hit our foul shots when it counted. We will hit them down the stretch."

Warsaw (9-5) starts the final stage of the regular season with two make up games. On Thursday the Tigers host Benton Central in a 6:30 p.m. (varsity only) tipoff. Then on Saturday they travel to Wawasee in a 2:30 p.m. (again varsity only) game.

Manchester falls to 10-5. [[In-content Ad]]