The Manhattan High Girls Varsity basketball team beat Hayden on Friday 40-21 despite having a rough third quarter. The last time Manhattan High and Hayden faced off, MHS won 55-36.

“Going into the game I was confident,” senior Haleigh Harper said. “We had see Hayden earlier in the season and we knew what to expect from them. We knew we had to shut down Hunter and Kia did a good job of that. Our guards played great defense again as well.”

The game would be a near roller coaster for the team, as they started out strong with a 24-10 lead at the end of the first half, yet went scoreless for the beginning of the second half. The recovery from this scoreless period would be a team effort as six members of the team scored in the second half.

“I think we all worked together,” Harper said. “Us working together led to great offense and defense. Good things happen when we play together.”

Underclassmen and junior Zanaa Cordis led the team in the second quarter scoring six points closing out the game with a total of eight points. Cordia would not be alone as Harper ended the game with nine points, four of which were in the second half.

The team only has three remaining competitions until the postseason. Their next competition is today against Washburn Rural, one of their largest league contenders. The previous time they met MHS lost, 37-49.

“I expect us to come out and play a lot better than the first time we met,” Harper said. “I think we can all agree that wasn’t our best game and we are ready to prove tonight that we are a strong team. We have went over a couple different defenses to contain their shooters so I’m excited to see how those turn out.”