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WABASH - For the most part, the Manchester Squires lived a storybook season.
They won five games and lost 14 last year. Now, one year and one new head coach later, they reversed their record. They boasted a 14-5 record entering Thursday's Northfield Sectional semifinal game with No. 20 Huntington North.
The Vikings (16-5) closed the book and the season on Manchester, blasting the Squires 73-43.
Huntington North played about as well as a team can play. The Vikings finished with five turnovers. They outrebounded Manchester 31-23, including 13-6 on the offensive glass. They made 61 percent of their shots from the floor, 31 of 51. Their defense smothered the Squires, holding them to 38 percent shooting (15 of 39).
Six-foot-two senior center Abbi Wilson gave the Squires matchup fits. Manchester is a small team anyway, with only one player taller than 5-8, Lindsay Seagert. Sure enough, Wilson scored Huntington's first six points of the game and finished with 17.
But as soon as the Squires focused on her, other girls, namely Heidi Hammel, hurt them. Hammel, a reserve who came into the sectional averaging 2.2 points and 4 rebounds per game, toasted Manchester for 18 points and nine rebounds.
"It's tough to stop them when your tallest player is 5-10," Manchester coach Jody Shewman said. "They're good. They work well together. They had kids who contributed when they came in. That's every coach's dream."
Wilson gave the Vikings the early 6-4 lead, then Hammel took it from there. She scored the next six points to push Huntington's lead to 12-4. All three baskets came in the paint, and two of them followed offensive rebounds.
Huntington's run continued. A Brook Working three-pointer capped a 15-2 spurt that put the Vikings up 17-6 with 13 seconds to go in the first quarter.
The Squires appeared to slow Huntington's momentum when sophomore Megan Eckert scored with four seconds to go in the quarter. Huntington, not to be outdone, had an answer. Carrie Fields fired a line-drive halfcourt shot with no arc. Somehow, some way, that shot zoomed over the top of the rim and went in. Time ran out, and Huntington led 20-8 after the first quarter.
Wilson and Hammel scored the first four points of the second quarter, and Huntington's lead jumped to 24-8.
The Squires trailed 35-20 at halftime. If they had any thoughts of getting back in the game, Huntington doused those early in the third quarter. Six Wilson points upped the lead to 43-22 with 3:53 to go in the third. The rout was on, the game finished except for the time on the clock. Huntington outscored Manchester 21-7 in the third quarter and took a 56-27 lead into the fourth.
Eckert, who averaged 19.4 points per game this season, had 20. Jodie Peden added 13.
Four starters return for Manchester.
"We got womped, but I'm proud of our team," Shewman said . "Fourteen wins, that's something no one could have ever guessed we'd do. We gave everything we had."
