NORTH MANCHESTER — As hosts of Class 2A Sectional 37, the Manchester Squires would have found it sweet to earn a spot in tonight’s sectional final. Despite 33 points from senior guard Claudel Dickantone, however, the Squires’ run ended with a 69-57 loss to the seventh-ranked Lewis Cass Kings Friday night. “We left everything on the floor, and I’m very proud of the way our guys battled,” said Manchester head coach Eric Thompson. “Down the line, Lewis Cass was just a little more athletic than we were.” It was an aggressive, yet exciting back-and-forth game in the opening half between the Squires and the Kings. Manchester opened things on a 5-0 run in the first quarter before Cass upped the ante with a 6-0 run of its own. Some hot shooting from sophomore guard Chase Fierstos and Dickantone kept the Squires in it early. Thompson subbed his starting five like a line shift in hockey early in the second quarter. With the reserves on the floor, they did an exceptional job of keeping the game from getting out of hand. “I gambled with that and put [the reserves] in with two or three minutes to go, and that worked,” Thompson said. Both teams continued to trade runs in the second quarter, but the Kings began to pull away with a late 8-4 run that gave them a 30-24 lead at the half. The Kings came storming out of the gate to start the second half, as Austin Keisling scored six-straight points to jump out to a 10-point lead and force a quick timeout from Thompson. Manchester got into foul trouble early again, especially with Fierstos, who fouled out of the game with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, putting the Squires in a tough spot with one of their perimeter shooters out of the game. Dickantone, along with fellow seniors Phoenix Goad, Clayton Petrie and Micah McDaniel, put it all on the line and tried to make everything happen with time winding down on him and his teammates. “We have tough kids and they did a great job throughout the whole year,” Thompson said. “[Dickantone] left it all on the floor. The guys did a great job of giving him the ball and Claudel did a great job of finishing it.” With the season ending sooner than the Squires had wished, the upcoming spring break will give the underclassmen a chance to cool down then re-sharpen their skills for the 2014-15 season. “After spring break, we’ll start off with open gym,” Thompson said. “Guys will have an opportunity for an individual workout and do their thing and beef up skills until November.” The Squires completed their 2013-14 season with a record a 16-6. Lewis Cass (19-3) advanced to tonight’s championship game against the Oak Hill Golden Eagles (11-11), who defeated the Northfield Norse 66-46 in the first semifinal Friday night.
LEWIS CASS 69, MANCHESTER 57 (Sectional 37, Semifinal) LC 19 11 18 21 – 69 M 14 10 10 23 – 57 LC – Austin Keisling 24, Blake Hadley 14, Owen Ohman 12, Evan Ohman 9, Drew McRae 4, Ryan Bixler 4, Destin Irwin 2. Manchester – Claudel Dickantone 33, Clayton Petrie 8, Chase Fierstos 6, Phoenix Goad 4, Branden Scott 4, Cameron Brandenburg 1, Austin Brewer 1; Records: Lewis Cass 19-2, Manchester 16-6.
