COLUMBIA CITY – The Manchester Squires went in to Friday night’s matchup having won seven of their last eight games. Meanwhile, the host Columbia City Eagles have been up-and-down as of late, suffering two separate three-game skids in their last eight contests.
Despite the different directions each team was heading, Friday night’s game proved that it was good to be home.
Sophomore guard Mitchell Wilson drilled five three-point baskets and had a game-high 28 points for the Eagles as Columbia City (9-13) fended off a late rally from Manchester and won 57-52 at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium.
Senior guard Mason Hamby led the Squires (11-9) in scoring, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while fellow senior guard Brayden Casper had 17 points. Koehl Fluke was held in check, ending his night with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and freshman Weston Hamby chipped in with six points.
The Squires found themselves in a hole early as Columbia City started the game with an 11-0 run and led 19-5 heading into the second stanza.
“It came down to the first quarter, and I don’t think they were ready to go,” said Manchester coach Mark Underwood. “They were not ready to go as individuals, and apparently I didn’t do my job as a coach of getting them ready to go, because we were lacking something.”
The Squires narrowed the gap some in the second quarter. Led by Mason Hamby’s 10 first-half points, Manchester got to within seven of the Eagles, but the hot hand of Wilson kept the Squires from getting any closer and Columbia City led by 10 at halftime.
The second half was where Underwood got his guys going. The margin remained the same after the third quarter, but Manchester was able to get within five points in the closing minutes.
“This is not something that has been the norm for us,” said Underwood. “We have come out ready in most games, but you have to give Columbia City a lot of credit, too. They were hot. They were really making shots, but I feel like if our defense was better, maybe we would not let them get on a roll so bad.”
It will not get much easier for the Squires going down the final stretch of the regular season. They will to Nappanee Tuesday night where they will face a tough NorthWood team before hosting Eastern (Greentown) Friday for senior night.
“We are going to learn from this, and we are going to do our darndest to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again in our last couple of regular season games and in the sectional,” said Underwood.
Tournament pairings for the state tournament will be revealed by the IHSAA Sunday. Manchester is hosting the sectional this year, and Underwood said he would like take home court advantage while they have it.
Col. City scoring – Garrett Roehling 7, Ethan Christen 5, Cameron Scott 2, Michael Sievers 8, Mitchell Wilson 28, Trent Simmons 2
Three-pointers – Manchester 4 (Casper 2, Hamby, Fluke), Columbia City 7 (Wilson 5, Christen, Roehling); Rebounds – Manchester 18; Turnovers – Manchester 10; Fouled out – none; Records: Manchester 11-9, Columbia City 9-13
JV – Manchester 44 Columbia City 37
Manchester – Caleb Stout 3, Thane Creager 9, Max Carter 2, Isaiah Davis 8, Mason Meyer 7, Kreeden Krull 13, Austin Underwood 2
