Squires Hope To Put Winning Formula Into Action
February 27, 2017 at 4:57 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Defend, rebound, limit turnovers and hit shots.
The veteran coach, who is in his first year at the helm of Manchester’s boys team after a number of years with the Lady Squires, also said those things are easier said than done.
The Squires, who take a four-game losing streak and 6-16 record into postseason action, play the Kings (14-8) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Class 2A Sectional 37 at Oak Hill High School.
Wabash (9-13) and Oak Hill (19-3) square off in Wednesday’s first game at 6 p.m., followed by Northfield (8-14) and Southwood (18-4).
Rochester will play in a 6 p.m. semifinal Friday, followed by Wednesday’s winners.
The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Lapel Regional to play the winner of the Lapel Sectional.
Sectional champions from Fountain Central and Taylor also feed into the Lapel Regional.
“They are a well-coached team with quality players,” Underwood said of the matchup with Cass. “They have done well this year and we will have to be at our best Tuesday night in order to have a chance to win.”
Manchester is 2-5 this season against the rest of the sectional field.
The Squires posted wins over Rochester and Northfield.
Manchester lost twice to Southwood and lost once to Oak Hill, Northfield and Wabash.
The Squires have not played Cass this season. The Kings are 2-0 against the rest of the sectional field, notching wins over Wabash and Rochester.
With a 19-3 record and the luxury of playing the sectional on its home floor, Oak Hill is considered the favorite among the seven teams.
“All the teams are capable on any given night,” said Underwood. “I would have to say that Southwood and Lewis Cass are the next two most capable teams after Oak Hill.”
Oak Hill enters the tournament on a three-game winning streak and has won nine of its last 10 games.
Southwood has won 11 in a row and is 7-1 against the rest of the sectional field, with the one loss a 22-point setback to Oak Hill on Jan. 10.
Cass has lost three games in a row, but has played a tougher schedule than Oak Hill and Southwood, according to the Sagarin ratings.
Of the seven teams in Sectional 37, five of them come from the Three Rivers Conference.
Underwood said playing in a field where the teams are so familiar with each other has its advantages and disadvantages.
“This can work for or against you,” said Underwood, who is trying to guide the Squires to their first sectional championship since 1995. “It is nice to know your opponent, but then again, your opponent will know you well. You also have to be careful that you don’t take anyone lightly or lack confidence against a team based on your game with them during the season.”
In their first season under the direction of Underwood, the Squires lost their first six games before beating Caston 38-32 on Dec. 20.
Manchester lost its next two games and then beat North Miami 55-40 on Jan. 6.
To snap the program’s near quarter-century sectional title drought, the Squires will have to win three consecutive games.
Manchester hasn’t done that this season.
The Squires did win back-to-back games, beating Tippecanoe Valley 69-53 on Jan. 27 and Northfield 49-47 in overtime on Feb. 2.
“This is a great bunch of guys,” said Underwood. “I am proud of the fact that they have worked hard, shown improvement, and represented MHS with class. We have had our ups and downs, but I do believe that we have played our best basketball during the second half of this season. We hope to be playing even better as we enter the tournament.”
Junior Mason Hamby leads the Squires in scoring with just under 14 points per game, while senior David McAtee and junior Koehl Fluke average right at 12 points per game each.
The Squires and Kings are playing each other for the first time since 2014 when Cass won 69-57.
The teams have met five times since the advent of class basketball during the 1997-98 season. All five meetings have been in the state tournament, and all five meetings were double-digit wins for Cass.
Defend, rebound, limit turnovers and hit shots.
The veteran coach, who is in his first year at the helm of Manchester’s boys team after a number of years with the Lady Squires, also said those things are easier said than done.
The Squires, who take a four-game losing streak and 6-16 record into postseason action, play the Kings (14-8) Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Class 2A Sectional 37 at Oak Hill High School.
Wabash (9-13) and Oak Hill (19-3) square off in Wednesday’s first game at 6 p.m., followed by Northfield (8-14) and Southwood (18-4).
Rochester will play in a 6 p.m. semifinal Friday, followed by Wednesday’s winners.
The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Lapel Regional to play the winner of the Lapel Sectional.
Sectional champions from Fountain Central and Taylor also feed into the Lapel Regional.
“They are a well-coached team with quality players,” Underwood said of the matchup with Cass. “They have done well this year and we will have to be at our best Tuesday night in order to have a chance to win.”
Manchester is 2-5 this season against the rest of the sectional field.
The Squires posted wins over Rochester and Northfield.
Manchester lost twice to Southwood and lost once to Oak Hill, Northfield and Wabash.
The Squires have not played Cass this season. The Kings are 2-0 against the rest of the sectional field, notching wins over Wabash and Rochester.
With a 19-3 record and the luxury of playing the sectional on its home floor, Oak Hill is considered the favorite among the seven teams.
“All the teams are capable on any given night,” said Underwood. “I would have to say that Southwood and Lewis Cass are the next two most capable teams after Oak Hill.”
Oak Hill enters the tournament on a three-game winning streak and has won nine of its last 10 games.
Southwood has won 11 in a row and is 7-1 against the rest of the sectional field, with the one loss a 22-point setback to Oak Hill on Jan. 10.
Cass has lost three games in a row, but has played a tougher schedule than Oak Hill and Southwood, according to the Sagarin ratings.
Of the seven teams in Sectional 37, five of them come from the Three Rivers Conference.
Underwood said playing in a field where the teams are so familiar with each other has its advantages and disadvantages.
“This can work for or against you,” said Underwood, who is trying to guide the Squires to their first sectional championship since 1995. “It is nice to know your opponent, but then again, your opponent will know you well. You also have to be careful that you don’t take anyone lightly or lack confidence against a team based on your game with them during the season.”
In their first season under the direction of Underwood, the Squires lost their first six games before beating Caston 38-32 on Dec. 20.
Manchester lost its next two games and then beat North Miami 55-40 on Jan. 6.
To snap the program’s near quarter-century sectional title drought, the Squires will have to win three consecutive games.
Manchester hasn’t done that this season.
The Squires did win back-to-back games, beating Tippecanoe Valley 69-53 on Jan. 27 and Northfield 49-47 in overtime on Feb. 2.
“This is a great bunch of guys,” said Underwood. “I am proud of the fact that they have worked hard, shown improvement, and represented MHS with class. We have had our ups and downs, but I do believe that we have played our best basketball during the second half of this season. We hope to be playing even better as we enter the tournament.”
Junior Mason Hamby leads the Squires in scoring with just under 14 points per game, while senior David McAtee and junior Koehl Fluke average right at 12 points per game each.
The Squires and Kings are playing each other for the first time since 2014 when Cass won 69-57.
The teams have met five times since the advent of class basketball during the 1997-98 season. All five meetings have been in the state tournament, and all five meetings were double-digit wins for Cass.
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