NORTH MANCHESTER – To say the Manchester Lady Squires are taking some momentum into this week’s Class 2A Sectional 37, one that they will host, would be an understatement.
The Lady Squires are on a six-game winning streak, a stretch that includes a win over Tippecanoe Valley on Thursday that gave them a share of the Three Rivers Conference title for the first time since 2012, and have won nine of their last 11.
What every coach dreams of is exactly what fifth-year Manchester coach Jake Everett is getting from his girls – they’re playing their best basketball heading into the state tournament.
“We have some great momentum going into the sectional,” said Everett, whose team was 15-7 overall and 8-1 in the TRC during the regular season.
“Last week we picked up two more wins against two quality opponents, Bluffton and Tippecanoe Valley. Our team is playing some great basketball right now, and this is the perfect time in the season to be playing at a high level.”
The Squires, who are hosting the sectional for the first time in four years, haven’t won a sectional game since 2013, and haven’t won a sectional title since 2007.
Oak Hill and North Miami open play in the six-team sectional with a 6 p.m. game Tuesday, followed by Manchester and Rochester.
Wabash drew a bye and will play in a semifinal game Friday against the Oak Hill/North Miami winner.
Friday’s other semifinal will feature Lewis Cass playing the Manchester/Rochester winner.
The sectional final is scheduled for Saturday night, with the winner advancing to the regional at Eastern High School.
“It has been four years since we have been able to host Sectional 37, which means that none of our current players have played a sectional game on our home court,” said Everett. “It is a special opportunity to be able to play on your home court in the postseason.
“The only advantages I believe we have are the familiarity of the environment, and the lack of travel requirements. Honestly, those advantages are wiped away after the first couple possessions of the game and both teams are able to center themselves on the gameplan they need to execute that night to keep their season alive. I know our team will be excited to play for a chance at a sectional title on our home court, and our fans will come out to support us on that quest.”
The Lady Squires have played each of the other five teams in the sectional and are 3-2 against them.
Manchester fell to Oak Hill and North Miami, but those two teams play each other in the opener, and the Lady Squires wouldn’t play the survivor of that game until Saturday’s championship game and they’d be playing on their home floor.
Oak Hill is 18-3 overall and 3-0 against the sectional field, while North Miami is 15-6, which includes a mark of 3-1 against teams in Sectional 37.
Manchester is the only other team in the field with more than nine wins.
“Oak Hill is one of the toughest teams in the sectional, they play a tough schedule and haven’t lost to any of the sectional opponents,” said Everett.
“North Miami defeated us earlier this year. That first-round matchup will be one to keep your eye on, but our entire sectional can be competitive with any other team. That’s the beauty of postseason Indiana high school basketball, anyone can win a single game and knock another team out.”
Manchester beat Rochester 39-28 on Jan. 18.
Senior Kennedy Fierstos leads the Lady Squires in scoring with an average of almost 13 points per game, while sophomore Eva Bazzoni scores nearly 11 points per game, junior Kiera Hatfield close to six, and seniors Kennidy Lauer and Emma West, five and four, respectively.
