NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester boys basketball team couldn't make the third time a charm Wednesday night against Wabash. Squaring off for the third time this season, the Wabash Apaches (10-11) completed the season sweep of the Manchester Squires (4-17) with a 65-58 first-round win in Class 2A Sectional 37 action at Manchester High School. Earlier this season, Wabash bested Manchester 72-58 in the first-round of the Wabash County Tournament on Dec. 29 at Northfield then 70-51 on Jan. 13 at Wabash. However, this time around, the Apaches encountered a different Squires squad, which held a 42-35 lead with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter. "When we played them earlier, (Manchester) coach (Eric) Thompson hadn't even had them for 10 games," Wabash coach Tom Robbins said. "I don't think they really knew what their roles were just yet, or just hadn't accepted them. The team I saw tonight has totally bought in with what their roles were on the team." Down 17-9 early in the game, Manchester battled back to draw even, then even took the lead late, but the four-win Squires failed to seal the deal. "This year, we were really learning how to compete for 32 minutes," Thompson, the Squires' first-year coach, said. "We've finished strong at learning that, but we never got to the point of learning how to win and win consistently. That's where Wabash was at. We had them down seven a couple of times, and things would go our way, but Wabash would never back down or hang their heads. Our guys wouldn't either, but (Wabash) hit some big shots." Those big shots came after Wabash outscored Manchester 6-1 down the stretch of the third quarter to trail 43-41 going into the fourth. The final frame began with a made three-pointer by Wabash junior Breyton Nealis with 7:26 remaining, giving his team its first lead since a 26-25 halftime advantage. From there, the squads exchanged blows until a trey by Wabash senior Nate Price gave the Apaches a 58-54 lead with 1:39 remaining. Manchester senior Derek Self cut the gap to 58-56 following a bucket, but Wabash scored the next seven points of the game, leading to the win. "We knew this was going to be a huge challenge," Robbins said. "To beat a team three times in one year is huge. Last year, Northfield beat Manchester twice (in the regular season), but in the first round of the sectional, Manchester beat them right here on this court." Self finished the game with 23 points, but it was classmate Logan Brunn who really stood out for the Squires. In his last game for Manchester, Brunn was dominant, scoring 23 points and grabbing 23 of his team's 36 rebounds, while also posting three assists and three steals. "He's just believing in the coaching staff and he knows we believe in him and the guys," Thompson said about the 6-foot-2 forward. "Logan was a great leader for us," he added. "I hate to see him go, but he's going to go on to bigger and better things." While Brunn was a tough cover for Wabash, Apaches junior Shea Beauchamp was just as tough for Manchester. Making 9 of 13 field goals, Beauchamp netted a game-high 24 points, despite missing some time after getting hit in the face late in the first half, causing a bloody nose. "He's the toughest kid," Robbins said. "I can't say that about every kid I've ever coached, but when Shea Beauchamp got popped, we knew he was coming back as soon as he could stop the bleeding." Wabash will take on Lewis Cass Friday night in the semifinals following the 6 p.m. between Northfield and Oak Hill. For Manchester, the season is over, and despite all the losses, Thompson saw growth in his team. "All year long, we've been getting more successful, although we've been getting knocked around," he said. "Success, maybe not from a wins and losses standpoint, but we're getting one part of the offense down, then the next game, we're getting this part of the defense down." And while the guys have been learning all season, four of them will be graduating, including Brunn, Self, Caleb Thomas and Connor McLaughlin. "I've been around them more than their parents have," Thompson said about the seniors. "We've learned a lot from each other. I've really enjoyed being around them. It'd be nice to at least get one more practice in before we had to hang it up. These guys are passing along what the younger ones need to know. We'll just keep building from there."
