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WABASH - Manchester. Northfield. Northfield. Manchester.
Who would win the Three Rivers Conference title?
A big crowd packed the tiny Northfield gym to find out. Seats were scarce for anyone who arrived after the junior varsity tipoff.
It was hot, and it was loud.
A conference championship on the line, in the 20th game of the season, the last game of the regular season.
This, without a doubt, was Indiana high school basketball.
The teams didn't disappoint. Manchester led from tipoff to the last buzzer and won 75-73.
The Squires won the TRC with a 6-1 record, while Northfield settled for second at 5-2. The Squires won the conference two years ago.
With 6-foot-7 center Dewayne Krom and the home court, Northfield appeared to be the favorite to win. Krom did his part, scoring 27.
Some of the others didn't. Forward Bernie Schuck, who has been one of Northfield's top scorers all season with 16 points per game, had two on 1-of-7 shooting.
The omen showed up early. At the 5:42 mark of the first quarter, the referees gave Northfield a technical foul. One Northfield starter was not listed on the original starting lineup turned into the official scorers.
Manchester forward Eric Swan hit four free throws - two for a personal foul, two for the technical - and the Squires went up 10-4.
The shooting woes that hurt the Squires in recent games - a 46-30 loss to Wawasee, a 49-36 loss to Elmhurst - did not show up against Northfield.
Manchester made 26 of 47 shots from the field, good for 55 percent. More importantly, the Squires made 18 of 30 in the first half, 60 percent.
"If you go down taking good shots, you go down taking good shots," Gary Goshert said. "We went down taking good shots, and we ended up on top."
And when Northfield closed in late in the second half, the Squires hit their free throws when they needed to. They made 16 of 18 in the fourth quarter.
Center Chris Enyeart scored 10 and Swan eight as the Squires took a 42-32 halftime lead to the locker room.
Their lead stayed in double figures after three quarters, 55-45. Then the Squires had their only lull. They lost the ball their first three possessions of the fourth quarter, and Northfield scored on each to cut the lead to 55-52. The Norsemen closed within two, 59-57, with 5:13 left.
But the Norsemen got no closer.
They fouled the Squires, who turned the fouls into instant points. They made 10 of 12 free throws in the last 1:55 to stay on top.
"They made some runs," Goshert said. "We sucked it up and held off their runs. We made our free throws down the stretch."
The Squires' lead was never in danger late. They led 75-70 with eight seconds left, and Northfield guard Darin Mirante hit a three-pointer that did nothing but make the score look closer.
"We rose to the occasion," Goshert said. "To come out in a big game and shoot the ball as well as we did, and handle the pressure, that's pretty good stuff. That's playing to win.
"Us being able to handle their pressure and be aggressive against it was a big plus for us."
Northfield fell to 13-6.
"We have to have more balance from our kids," Northfield coach Chris Keisling said. "We can't stand around and watch Dewayne Krom.
"They shot nearly 60 percent and hit their free throws. When a team does that, they're tough to beat."
Manchester, 12-8, meets Whitko in Tuesday's Columbia City Sectional.
Swan hit 10 of 10 free throws and led Manchester with 19 points. Enyeart added 17.
"You have to feel especially good for Jake Peden and Brandon Reimer, being seniors," Goshert said. "It's special to me because this is special for them. They can take this with them.
"We'll go to work next week when it's time to go to work. We're going to enjoy this right now."
