Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Now this was a new one.
Manchester's girls basketball team entered Tuesday night's game with Central Noble with a 10-1 record, having won its games by an average - an average - of 19 points.
So when the Squires found themselves trailing 29-25 at home to a Central Noble team with only six varsity players, well, it was strange. The one and only other time this season they trailed at the half they lost to Marion.
Head coach Jody Shewman put the onus on her players at halftime. The Squires responded, snapping out of their first-half sleepwalk to win 53-42.
"I asked them to quit making excuses for why things weren't going right," Shewman said. "I didn't get real excited. I let them make the adjustments. They responded."
Who knows why the Squires looked out of it the first half. Sure, the Squires were missing Jodie Peden, one of their top three starters, to sickness. And Central Noble isn't what you'd call a big-time rival.
"It was a combination of both those things," Shewman said. "Jodie on the defensive end does so much. We never had played Central Noble. It was just hard to get fired up."
About the only thing the Squires had going for them was senior guard Katie Parker, who scored 10 before halftime and deflected several Central Noble passes.
Rebounding and Megan Eckert had a lot to do with why Manchester outscored Central Noble 28-13 in the second half.
The first half, an undersized Central Noble team outrebounded Manchester 17-10, including 8-5 on the offensive glass. The second half, Manchester outrebounded Central Noble 15-6, including 5-1 on the offensive glass.
Then the Squires went to their candy store.
Miami Dolphins football coach Jimmy Johnson has compared future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino to a candy store. He has always wanted Miami to run the football, but when the Dolphins couldn't, he said they could dip into the candy store and rely on Marino's talented arm to help them win games.
Eckert, who leads the Squires with 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, is Manchester's candy store. Manchester's most talented player, she took over the game when the Squires needed her to, overcoming three fouls with three minutes to go before halftime. Eckert hit two straight baskets, one a three-pointer, to break a 36-36 tie to put Manchester up 41-36 late in the third quarter.
Her baskets triggered a 13-0 run that moved Manchester's lead to 49-36 with five minutes left in the fourth.
The Squires went from a zone defense the first half to a tighter man-to-man defense the second half. The Squires stood around the first half, but the Knights stood around the second half. A much deeper Manchester squad wore down their six players.
Eckert scored 17 to lead Manchester, while Parker added 14. Heather Carmien led Central Noble (3-9) with 19 points.
Manchester hosts North Miami, last year's Three Rivers Conference champion, at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The Squires are 2-0 in the conference.
