Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WABASH - Saturday's varsity boys basketball game with county rivals Manchester and Wabash was the standard 32 minutes, but as Wabash coach Mike Noszka said, it was the first four minutes that really decided the game.
"Being down 12 points to start out really killed us," Noszka said.
Led by a trio of three-pointers from 6-foot-1 senior Klay Bechtold, Manchester jumped out to a 16-4 lead with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter; the Squires went on to win 61-46.
The 15-point win improves Manchester's record to 1-1, while Wabash, a team that finished last year 0-21, falls to 0-2.
A year ago, Manchester dismantled Wabash 91-33 in the season-opener, and then 76-34 in the county tournament.
Saturday, other than the first four minutes of the game, the Apaches were in the game.
"Wabash is a very much improved team, they're gonna win their share of games," Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. "They've got good people, size, quickness and people that can score from the perimeter. They're a handful, and we knew that. Most important was that we were able to take care of ourselves."
Saturday's win for Manchester comes after it dropped the season opener to Mississinewa, 65-35.
"It (win over Wabash) wasn't perfect, but it was a heckuva lot better than the way we played Wednesday," Goshert said. "I thought the kids were willing to assert themselves and play as a team on both ends of the floor. The other night, they were tentative and nervous."
Bechtold finished the game with 17 points for the Squires and was 4 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc. Manchester senior Nate Kerr led all scorers with 19 points, while classmate Anthony Frieden chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds.
"I thought we had a pretty good start with some different scorers," Goshert said. "I thought Kerr was pretty darn steady throughout the whole game. (Klint) Rupley is playing is first varsity season, and just his second season of basketball over all. He's only going to get better as our team progresses."
Rupley, Manchester's 6-3 starting center, finished the game with two points, three rebounds and a steal.
The host Apaches were led in the scoring column by 6-3 senior forward Greg Ripple, who tallied 16 points and pulled down four rebounds. Senior guard Pete Lundy, the only other Wabash player in double figures, finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds.
The Apaches trailed 32-23 at halftime but were as close as 32-29 at the 4:46 mark of the third quarter when Lundy connected on a pair of field free throws when a technical foul was called on Manchester's bench.
Manchester finished the third quarter with an 11-3 run and then outscored Wabash 18-14 in the final frame.
"I'm proud of how hard the kids played," Goshert said. "We've gotta block out better, but this was a big step in the right direction."
Manchester will play at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger Friday, while Wabash travels to Tippecanoe Valley Tuesday.
MANCHESTER 61, WABASH 46
Manchester (1-1) 18 14 11 18 - 16
Wabash (0-2) 9 14 9 14 - 46
Manchester FG FT R S Pts.
Bechtold (F) 5-10 3-4 2 0 17
Frieden (G) 4-11 4-5 7 3 14
Kerr (F) 7-9 3-3 6 5 19
A. Sorg (G) 1-2 2-6 1 3 4
Rupley (C) 1-4 0-0 3 1 2
Dale 0-2 1-2 1 2 1
Stoops 0-2 0-0 0 0 0
Westendorf 0-1 0-0 1 0 0
M. Sorg 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Simcoe 1-2 2-2 5 0 4
Totals 19-43 15-22 26 14 61
Wabash FG FT R S Pts.
Lundy (G) 2-8 6-8 5 1 11
Landis (G) 0-3 1-2 2 0 1
J. Nordman (C) 3-4 3-3 5 0 9
Ripple (F) 4-11 4-4 4 1 16
Fairchild (F) 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Palmer 1-5 0-2 0 0 2
Coldren 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Smith 2-4 2-2 4 0 6
B. Nordman 0-2 1-2 3 0 1
Totals 12-39 17-23 23 2 46
Three-point goals - Manchester 8 (Bechtold 4, Frieden 2, Kerr 2), Wabash 5 (Ripple 4, Lundy 1). Turnovers - Manchester 13, Wabash 18. Fouls - Manchester 21, Wabash 18. Fouled out - Ripple.
