Hatfield’s Six Treys Leads Manchester Over WhitkoSOUTH WHITLEY – It’s been nearly a month since the Whitko Lady Wildcats won their first and only girls basketball contest of the season. Fellow Three Rivers Conference member and rival Manchester is sitting in a better position than their counterparts, but have lost four out of its last five contests. Both were in need of a win in order to change direction in their seasons.
Led by senior guard Kerigan Hatfield’s game-high 18 points, the Lady Squires were able to leave Whitko with a 48-31 victory Friday night in South Whitley.
For the struggling Lady Cats (1-10, 0-2 TRC), there are some growing pains, but Whitko coach Dr. Rick Bragg sees signs of improvement as the season moves along.
“Manchester came out a little more determined and a little more assertive where we didn’t answer the call,” said Bragg. “With our inexperience, we’re playing better in long stretches, so we’re maximizing our stretches of good play. But those stretches of bad play, we’re just creating those at the wrong time.”
The Lady Squires (5-6, 3-0 TRC) kept their conference record clean, but it was not easy at first. Kerigan Hatfield helped put some distance between the team by hitting six treys and finishing with 18 points.
“Whitko came out and they really put it to us on the offensive end, we didn’t get stops right away,” said Manchester coach Jake Everett. “They came out with a lot fight and fire. Fortunately, for us, Kerigan was able to knock down a lot of threes.”
Hatifield’s younger sibling Kiera chipped in with six points. Erika Kendall finished with five, and juniors Emma West and Jirni Cripe added four each.
Manchester got some long-range shots to fall early, opening things up with a 9-1 run. Hatfield made five three-point baskets to score 15 of Manchester’s 24 first-half points. However, when baskets would not fall their way, the Lady Cats would take advantage and hang around.
Junior forward Ellie Snep’s 10 first-half points helped keep the Lady Cats in the contest as they were only down by seven points at the intermission. She finished with a team-high 16 points.
“That first half, for at least 16 minutes, was probably the best continuous half of basketball we’ve played all year,” said Bragg. “We’re going to get there, though.”
The third quarter proved to be the major turning point. After a basket from Snep in the opening seconds, Whitko was held scoreless until the 0:15 mark. Manchester took control of the ball game with a 14-4 third-quarter run.
“Our third quarter, we came out and we wanted to pressure them in the backcourt where we could trap them and force turnovers,” said Everett. “We were pushing the tempo and we were making shots.”
In the loss, Kayla Schipper contributed 10 points and Liz Foutz posted 5 for Whitko.
The Lady Wildcats return to action on Tuesday night, when they host West Noble for a non-conference game. The Lady Squires’ road trip continues Friday as they travel to conference and county rival Southwood.
MANCHESTER 48, WHITKO 31
M 9 15 14 10 – 48
W 5 12 4 10 – 31
Manchester – Kerigan Hatfield 18, Kiera Hatfield 6, Erika Kendall 5, Jirni Cripe 4, Emma West 4, Kennedy Fierstos 3, Sydney Day 3, Eva Bazzoni 3, Kennidy Lauer 2
