NORTH MANCHESTER - In a game decided by two points, Manchester's young girls basketball squad came up short against Peru's upperclassmen.
Featuring a starting lineup of one senior, three sophomores and a freshman, the Manchester Lady Squires (8-6) showed composure, but ultimately lost 54-52 to a Peru (10-4) team which didn't play anyone younger than a junior."Peru is a very good basketball," Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. "I give them a lot of credit. They're well-coached. They've got seasoned players who really do a nice job."
The win was Peru's sixth consecutive, and coach David Weeks credited a back-and-forth 52-38 victory over Southwood on Monday for helping his squad defeat the Lady Squires.
"Coming into this, they were kind of used to that kind of pressure and didn't panick," he said. "They were able to handle what Manchester was throwing at us, and that was huge."
Knotted at 52-52 in the final minute, Peru junior Breanna Calloway scored on a layup, notching her 23rd point of the game, and giving her team the lead.
Calloway moved to Peru earlier this season after attending Lafayette Jefferson, and has added a needed boost to the Lady Tigers team.
"At first, she wasn't really sure how the girls were going to respond to her," Weeks said of Calloway. "As a team, everyone is glad she's here. We're welcoming her in. She's kind of gotten into a comfort zone."
Manchester did have a chance to tie the game on two separate occasions down the stretch, but couldn't capitalize.
After missing two free throws with 32 seconds remaining, Manchester had another chance to tie things up after a Peru turnover.
However, after regaining possession, sophomore Kaylee Watson penetrated the lane, dished it out to sophomore Hannah Little for a baseline shot that was just off the mark.
"Kaylee Watson took the ball to the basket, and when she saw she didn't have a shot, she found a wide open Hannah Little," Underwood said. "We had the floor balanced, we had the offense we wanted. I thought the kids made good decisions, the shot just didn't go in."
And by even getting a good shot, Underwood saw vast improvement in his team.
"We're starting to play smart basketball," he said. "We're starting to have a little more poise down the stretch. I'm proud of that."
Underwood was also proud of the way his girls were able to keep battling back from deficits, using separate 10-0 runs in the second and fourth quarters to fight back.
in the second quarter, the scoring came from an unlikely source in sophomore Meika Kennedy, who hit one of her three three-pointers during the spurt, finishing the game with 11 points, three assists and three steals.
"She hits them in practice, but as a young player, she just hasn't quite had the confidence," Underwood said of Kennedy's three-point shooting. "It was great to see her hit those tonight. Hopefully that will build confidence for future games."
One girl that has been hitting shots consistently this season has been senior Jessica Bedke, and that continued Wednesday, as she made good on 10 of 20 shots for 24 points.
"Jessica Bedke has just been one of those players you hold up on a pedestal," Underwood said. "She's not only a good basketball player, but also has awesome character.
"She's the complete player," he added. "Not only is she able to do it on the basketball floor, but she's also a great student and a great person too."
Outside of Calloway's production, Peru also got 16 points and nine rebounds from senior Sarah Gallahan, as well as five points and 10 boards out of senior Paige Blanton.
"A lot of it is just her quickness," Weeks said of the 5-foot-7 Blanton and her prowess on the boards. "She can get from Point A to Point B a lot quicker than some other girls on the floor. She also has a knack for reading where the ball is going to come off the rim."
Manchester returns to Three Rivers Conference action Saturday at 6:15 p.m. against Wabash, the No. 5 team in Class 2A, a team it lost to 75-41 on Dec. 29.
"We know we're huge underdogs against Wabash," Underwood said. "We just need to see vast improvement from the first time we played them in the county tournament."
Three-point goals - Peru 3-14 (Calloway 3), Manchester 5-14 (Kennedy 3, Bedke, Watson); Team Fouls - Peru 15, Manchester 19; Turnovers - Peru 17, Manchester 19; Rebounds - Peru (Blanton 10, Gallahan 9), Manchester 25 (Flack 7, Little 7); Assists - Peru 9 (Calloway 5), Manchester 10 (Kennedy 3, Flack 3); Steals - Peru 10 (Eckerley 4), Manchester 7 (Kennedy 3); Blocks - Peru 1, Manchester 1; Records: Peru 10-4, Manchester 8-6
