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LOGANSPORT - Jody Shewman was right.
Before the season began, the Manchester girls basketball coach -ÊI think more out of frustration for her players - said how disappointed she was preseason polls left her Squires out of the top 10 in 2A.
To her credit, Shewman had the guts to speak out and stand up for her team. The word "upset" came up a lot. That's how much she believed in her players and her coaching staff. Maybe she didn't realize it then, but her 1997-1998 team was paying for a program that had gone 7-32 from 1994 through 1996.
A column written in this newspaper about Shewman and her team back in November said, "Manchester Girls Aim To Right A Wrong."
Wait and see, she told you then.
We waited, and what we saw was this: Shewman, who owns a sparkling 35-10 coaching record, was right.
This Manchester team went 21-4.
No Manchester team had ever won that many games.
This Manchester team won a sectional title.
No Manchester team had done that since 1984.
This Manchester team won a regional.
No Manchester team had ever done that.
This Manchester team won its first-round semistate game and moved on to the semistate championship game.
Obviously no Manchester team had done that.
Saturday's semistate championship game between Manchester and Bluffton tipped off at 8:15 p.m.
By 7:15 p.m., Manchester basketball fans had packed the lower level of Logansport High School's Berry Bowl.
They even beat the Manchester players to the game. And when the players arrived and walked in on the upper level - the court is called the Berry Bowl because the basketball floor is several feet below ground level and makes it seem like the gym is a big bowl - a few fans looked up, nudged those sitting next to them and started pointing up at them.
As if on cue, they all rose and gave their team a standing ovation. Before the game. Just for walking in the door. (Question: Do you think they gave a hoot that this was class basketball?)
Shewman gave them a thumbs-up. Forward Megan Eckert and some other players raised the roof.
The fans roared louder.
Look at quarters or minutes, and the Squires won the game. They won three quarters to one. They won 23 minutes to nine.
Problem was, Bluffton got the most bang for its buck in its nine minutes -Êthe final nine minutes - outscoring Manchester 31-9. The Tigers scored 24 points in the first 23 minutes; they scored 31 in the last nine to win 55-49.
But you know what? None of this mattered to Manchester fans. All they told Shewman afterward was how happy they were for her, how she did so much with her team.
A Manchester fan put a hand on my shoulder and said, "These girls have nothing to hang their heads about. They went further than any other Manchester team has gone."
Jody Shewman was right.
She had a heckuva team that had a heckuva year. Her Squires were one of four 2A teams still playing Saturday evening. She and her players forged a special relationship.
"We're going to build from this and move on," she said. "We're still going to do things as a group. We're going to continue going out to eat. We're going down together (to the state finals) next Friday. We're spending time together, not letting this go."
