WINONA LAKE - One boys basketball team was going to put an end to an extended losing streak Tuesday at Lakeland Christian Academy.
After the first quarter, it was evident that the Manchester Squires (2-6) would see their six-game skid come to an end.
The Squires wasted no time pouncing on the smaller LCA Cougars (1-9), building a 12-0 lead to start the game and a 19-4 advantage after the first quarter. The fast start helped the Squires take a 67-37 victory, extending LCA's losing streak to eight.
"It's nice for us to get that start instead of someone else," Manchester coach Aaron Cripe said.
The Cougars fared better after the first quarter, but never got within 14 points of their IHSAA opponents.
"This was a game we could see what we needed to work on and what things we did well," Cripe said.
Using their size, Manchester's frontline of 6-foot-4 senior Scott Baker and 6-2 senior Aric Howard controlled the paint.
"I thought we rebounded the ball really well," Cripe said. "I think we can rebound the ball well against most teams. With (junior) Logan Brunn back, it gives us a really strong third rebounder, so that's one thing we're going to keep keying on this year."
The strongest player on the court was Baker, who finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Manchester also got 11 points and four rebounds from Howard, while Brunn returned from a five-game absence to post eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"With Logan back, our team is a different team," Cripe said. "We're more athletic and we have more options to play with."
Junior Josh Silveus led LCA with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Zarek Finley and senior Jacob Cole each had seven points and five rebounds.
The win was Manchester's first since the opening game of the season, but going against one of the two teams they defeated last year, the Squires were optimistic to get 2011 started on a positive note.
"It was one team we beat last year, so we did come in with some confidence," Cripe said. "You never know how your team is going to play, whether they're overconfident or not. I'm glad our team came out and played strong - didn't overlook these guys."
Manchester returns to Three Rivers Conference play Friday when it travels to North Miami, while LCA is also in action Friday, taking on Elkhart Christian at Grace College's Orthopaedic Capital Center.
MANCHESTER 67, LAKELAND CHRISTIAN 37
M 19 17 15 16 - 67
L 4 10 12 11 - 37
Manchester - Derek Self 2-5 0-0 4, Caleb Thomas 2-5 1-4 5, Austin Flack 3-8 0-0 7, Scott Baker 7-16 5-6 19, Aric Howard 5-8 1-3 11, Trae Bruce 3-3 2-4 8, Jim Sainsbury 0-1 2-2 2, Logan Brunn 3-8 0-0 8, Grant Schuler 0-3 0-0 0, Neil Underwood 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 26-59 11-19 67.
LCA - Josh Silveus 5-11 1-2 11, Zarek Finley 3-12 1-2 7, Sam Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Calvin Prinsen 2-6 2-2 6, Jacob Cole 3-3 1-2 7, Ross Wallen 0-1 0-0 0, John Rohrs 0-2 0-0 0, Chris Silveus 1-2 0-2 3, Jon Vida 1-3 1-2 3, Billy Pitts 0-2 0-2 0, Noah Cole 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-43 6-14 37.
Three-point goals - Manchester 4-14 (Brunn 2, Flack, Underwood), LCA 1-7 (C. Silveus); Team Fouls - Manchester 17, LCA 15; Turnovers - Manchester 10, LCA 22; Rebounds - Manchester 30 (Baker 10), LCA 26 (J. Silveus 6); Assists - Manchester 5 (Brunn 2), LCA 1; Steals - Manchester 15 (Flack 3, Baker 3), LCA 4 (J. Silveus 2); Blocks - Manchester 1, LCA 4 (Prinsen 3); Records - Manchester 2-6, LCA 1-9
JV - Manchester 43, LCA 29
JV Scoring: Manchester - Underwood 9, Evan Olinger 9, Clayton Petrie 5, Phoenix Goad 5, Schuler 4, Noah Johnson 4, Dallas Fields 3, Claudel Dickantone 2, Cody Hann 2; LCA - C. Silveus 7, Vida 7, Christopher Maron 6, Ross Wallen 5, James Grothouse 3, Bradley Bibler 1
