Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WABASH -ÊThe excitement started early at Southwood High School as the junior varsity boys basketball game between Manchester and the Knights went into overtime and ended when junior Kedric Miller bailed the Squires out with 0.3 seconds left.
Miller caught a full-court pass and hit a 15-foot turn-around jumper in the last second to give the Squires the 58-57 win.
Manchester's varsity team then came out and won in far less exciting fashion, rolling over Southwood 84-66.
The win was important for the Squires as Manchester coach Gary Goshert tabbed Southwood as the team to beat in the Three Rivers Conference. The Squires are 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the TRC, while Southwood fell to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the TRC.
Both teams came out quickly as the two teams combined for 46 first-quarter points. Eric Swan paced the Squires early with 14 first-quarter points. Manchester also received a boost from its bench as Lee Shafer came in and dropped in eight first-quarter points.
Southwood refused to be outdone. Levi Perigo led the Knights with eight first-quarter points, leaving his team down just six points at the end of one, 26-20.
The hot shooting continued into the second quarter. With Swan on the bench in foul trouble, Rex Reimer stepped up and scored 12 points in the second stanza. The Knights kept pace as they outscored the Squires 24-23 to leave them five points behind at the half.
As both teams exited the locker rooms to begin the second half, it became evident early which team still had the proverbial hot hand. Manchester started the third quarter with a 14-3 run that brought its lead to 17 and essentially left the game out of reach for the Knights.
Reimer continued to abuse the Southwood defense as he nailed 5 of 8 behind the three-point arc and finished with a game-high 23 points. With Reimer drawing attention on the perimeter, Manchester's big men dominated the inside, outrebounding the Knights 28-15.
Even with a comfortable lead heading into the final quarter, Manchester continued to play tough defense and put points on the board. Swan scored four more points in the fourth quarter to finish with 18.
After the game Goshert wasn't talking about the individual performances of Swan, Reimer or Shafer. The total team performance was on Goshert's mind.
"Southwood's one of the top teams in the conference," he said. "We went after them and attacked. I'm very proud of the way our kids played tonight."
The Squires look to remain undefeated as they host Rochester Friday.
MANCHESTER 84
SOUTHWOOD 66
Manchester (3-0) 26 23 19 16 -Ê84
Southwood (1-1) 20 24 8 14 - 66
Manchester FG FT A S R Pts.
Reimer (G) 8-12 2-2 4 2 3 23
Swan (F) 7-10 2-2 1 1 7 18
Bettenn (C) 4-5 0-0 2 0 4 8
Hendrix (G) 2-4 0-0 1 1 1 4
Fawcett (F) 1-4 3-3 2 0 7 5
Shafer 7-9 0-0 0 1 1 16
Little 3-3 0-0 2 2 0 8
Keffaber 1-1 0-0 1 2 2 2
Lichner 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0
Totals 33-49 7-7 13 9 28 84
Southwood FG FT A S R Pts.
P. Wright (F) 5-14 2-2 2 0 6 14
Perigo (G) 2-9 6-8 3 2 0 11
Ehert (G) 4-9 1-1 3 3 0 10
Zellers(C) 2-3 1-2 0 1 2 5
T.Wright (F) 1-5 0-0 1 4 2 2
D.J Marshall 2-4 1-1 2 1 0 5
C. Marshall 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 5
Kaufman 2-4 1-1 0 1 0 5
Dawson 2-3 1-2 1 0 2 5
Elzorth 2-3 0-1 0 1 3 4
Totals 24-58 13-19 12 13 15 66
Three-point goals -ÊManchester 11-18 (Reimer 5-8, Swan 2-4, Shafer 2-2, Little 2-2), Columbia City 5-9 (P. Wright 2-2, C. Marshall 1-2, Perigo 1-2, Ehert 1-3). Fouled out -ÊNone. Total fouls - Manchester 15, Southwood 14. Turnovers -ÊManchester 19, Southwood 13.
Referees - N/A
JV: Manchester 58, Southwood 57
Manchester scoring leaders -ÊKedric Miller 16, Klay Bechtold 13, Anthony Frieden 11
