Squires Fall To Huntington North In OTNORTH MANCHESTER – Manchester was so close Friday.
In a nonconference high school boys basketball game, the Squires were edged 52-51 in overtime by the visiting Huntington North Vikings.
“In a game like this as close as it was, it could go either way,” said Manchester coach Mark Underwood.
“An inch here, an inch there, maybe we would have been on top, but the main thing is the effort I saw from my guys.”
The Squires lost an early lead in the second quarter, and trailed for most of the game.
They were down 43-35 late in the fourth quarter when sophomore Weston Hamby came through with a stunning four-point play.
He was fouled while hitting a three-pointer from the left corner, and calmly sank a free throw to cut the Vikings’ lead to four.
“You could just tell the momentum swung (the Squires’) way,” said Huntington coach Craig Teagle.
After Huntington’s Zach Daugherty hit 1 of 2 free throws, Manchester’s Brayden Casper tied the game by hitting two of his own from the stripe with 20.4 seconds remaining.
The Vikings’ shot on their next possession missed the mark, and Casper flew in for the rebound. However, the Squires could not get a shot off in time, and the game was sent to overtime.
Hamby scored five of the extra period’s first seven points to give Manchester a 49-46 lead, but Huntington’s Sawyer Stoltz cut the lead to 1 with a bucket.
Daugherty turned a steal into a basket, and suddenly Manchester trailed by one.
Logan Parrett scored on a put-back to regain the Squires’ lead.
Huntington turned the ball over, but Manchester gave it right back, and Daugherty was fouled on his way to the basket.
He made both free throws, and Manchester’s last-chance shot was off the mark.
“Thank goodness we found a way to win, but my hats off to them,” Teagle said. “They played a really good basketball game.”
Hamby finished with a game-high 20 points and a team-high five rebounds, while Casper scored 15 points for the Squires.
Stoltz led the Vikings (6-2) with 18 points, while Daugherty had 12.
Huntington was without star player Hank Pulver, who was absent for family reasons.
“We know that without Pulver here tonight, that was something that was in our favor,” Underwood said. “But, that’s a really good basketball team with the guys they had out there.”
Manchester (3-4) will face Southwood Friday in the first day of the two-day Wabash County Tournament.
“We’re gonna come and try to really bring our A-game for the county tourney, because we kind of look at that as a mini-sectional,” Underwood said. “(It’s) a great opportunity to prepare for what really matters at the end of the season.”
Three-pointers – H. North 5 (Williams 2, Bartrom 1, Newcomb 1, Daugherty 1), Manchester 8 (Hamby 4, Lester 2, Casper 1, Stout 1); Rebounding – H. North 26 (Stoltz 7), Manchester (Hamby 5); Turnovers – H. North 14, Manchester 10; Fouls – H. North 15, Manchester 18; Fouled out – none; Records: H. North 6-2, Manchester 3-4.
JV – Huntington North 48,
Manchester 23
Manchester – Cade Jones 12, Carter Bedke 7, Logan Bishop 2, Logan Hollinger 2.
