A nine-game winning streak, a record-breaking milestone and a knack for winning close games headlined a script-flipping first half of the season for Manhattan Indians boys basketball.
The Indians (10-2) have shown growth on the court and in the standings after winning just six games last season. Differences in locker room atmospheres exemplify the stark contrast between this season and last season.
“There’s two ends of the spectrum,” junior Henry Witt said. “This year, there’s hype in the locker room every single game. Last year, it was rarely, ever that. And when we did get a win, it was nowhere close to what it is this year.”
The Indians most recently played two games in the Tournament of Champions. A third and final game got postponed due to heavy snowfall Saturday.
In their most recent game, the Indians edged past Dodge City 54-52 on Jan. 23.
“I thought Dodge came out and played really hard,” head coach Benji George said. “And I don’t know that we fully matched that for all 32 minutes, but you know, once again, we did enough late to overcome it.”
The win earned George his 153rd career win, topping Terry Taylor’s long-standing mark of the most by a head coach in program history. For George, the relief of coming away with a win — after losing the day prior 55-43 to Olathe East — trumped the excitement of the milestone.
“My thoughts were more just about the team and making sure we get a win, than anything that had to do with myself,” George said. “But I will say everything that the parents and everybody did afterwards, I really appreciated. I mean, the players and parents really did a lot to make it special for me, and my family did as well. So I appreciated all that.”
The loss to Olathe East on Jan. 22 put an end to the Indians’ nine-game win streak. It was the most consecutive wins the Indians have strung together since the 2016-17 season.
“We just went completely dry late, offensively,” George said. “I think we had seven possessions in a row where we could have either tied the game or made it a one possession game, and we went dry on all seven possessions. So, it’s just one of those things where things didn’t go away way late, but we’ll learn from it.”
In the Indians only home game of the entire month, they took down Hayden 55-53 on Jan. 16.
Because of the win, the Indians sport a 3-0 record in home games and a 4-0 record against Centennial League opponents. The Indians are also 6-0 in games decided by 5 points or less this season.
On Jan. 13, the Indians beat the Junction City Blue Jays 49-48 in JC, snapping a four-game losing streak in the rivalry. It also marked the first time the Indians have beat JC in the new gym they opened in 2021.
“It’s the second best thing besides winning State,” senior Sawyer Newton said. “We haven’t won it here in this new gym. We’re the first team to do it. And it just feels awesome.”
Going forward, the Indians have a mountain of a schedule to climb. George sees their next four opponents as top five teams in each of their respective classes. In addition to those, MHS still has a make-up game against Wichita East squad, though the date is pending.
“What’s in front of us is, I think, the hardest schedule that any team could play in 6A,” George said. “Because Blue Valley is probably a top five team. And then, there’s a potential to play Wichita East in there, who’s a top 10 team. And we have a tough Great Bend team on the road. And we have Emporia, who’s in the top three in 5A, and we follow that up with Maize, who’s also in the top five in 6A. So the path is difficult, and we have to be ready for how steep the climb is going to be for us. And I think you know our players understand that.”
