Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WABASH - The Manchester Squires won their first Wabash County Tournament since the 1994-1995 season by beating host school Wabash 61-40 on Saturday.
It was the second time Manchester (7-1) beat Wabash (3-6) this year. Manchester hosted and defeated the Apaches 51-38 on Nov. 29.
The Squires put this game away early, outscoring the Apaches 18-9 the first quarter en route to a 33-18 halftime lead.
"We got off to a good start at both ends of the floor," Manchester coach Gary Goshert said. "We shot 60 percent from the floor the first half and defended the key areas. Against Wabash, the key areas were containing their penetration and contesting their perimeter shots. We also defended the post area well."
Six-foot-four Manchester senior center Chris Enyeart had his fourth double-double in eight games with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Good, who scored a season-high 15 points in Manchester's 72-51 Friday win over Northfield in the first round, followed that with 17 points against Wabash.
Enyeart finished the tournament with 33 points and 24 rebounds to take MVP honors.
Manchester had three of the five players named to the All-Tournament team. Good and Scot Croner were named along with Enyeart.
"We again had nice offensive performances out of Good and Enyeart," Goshert said. "Enyeart did a nice job defensively, too. Rex Reimer did an excellent job handling the basketball for us."
Out of the seven games the Squires have played this season, Goshert said this was one of their best games yet.
"We really brought our A-game to the championship round," he said. "You still have to look at the Columbia City game (a 54-50 Manchester win) as our top game. That one and this one are two of our better ones."
Northfield had won the last two Wabash County titles. The Norsemen (3-6) beat Southwood (4-4) 78-77 in overtime in the consolation game.
The Squires host Jarrad Odle and Oak Hill at 6:30 p.m. Friday in a big TRC matchup. Odle, a 6-foot-7 senior who is headed to Indiana University, led the state in scoring last season and is in the top 10 this season. Oak Hill is 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the TRC. The Squires are 2-0 in the TRC.
Then on Saturday, Manchester hosts one of the top big schools in the state, Marion. The Giants (7-1) are ranked fourth in class 4A.
