Manhattan Indians boys basketball faced Emporia on Feb. 24, a game with major implications for the League-title-seeking Indians. The Indians were 5-3 in League play going into the Emporia game, putting them at first in the Centennial League race ahead of Hayden (5-4), Emporia (4-4) and Washburn Rural (4-4). Therefore, if the Indians win against Emporia and in their regular season closer against Washburn Rural on Feb. 27, it guarantees them their first outright title since 2017.
The Indians have already clinched a home field advantage for their opening playoff game and are now seeking rights to hosting a potential second playoff game, which they will be able to do if they win out and Wichita East loses their final game of the season Tuesday against Wichita Southeast.
The Indians fell well short against the Junction City Blue Jays 73-54 on Feb. 20. MHS’s 19-point loss marked the fourth time in the last five meetings that JC finished on top of Manhattan.
“We ran into a buzz saw,” head coach Benji George said. “But you know, on some level, we kind of helped them be a buzz saw. And that’s not to take anything away from Junction City, but, when you go an entire quarter and you don’t get a stop to start the game until they miss a 40-foot throw at the buzzer, you’re obviously not coming out of the gate with a defensive mentality.”
According to George, the complexity of his own gameplan confused the Indians.
“I think we need to simplify things,” George said. “I think I probably over-coached them. We tried to throw in a little wrinkle with the zone, and that was not effective. And then we tried to change our ball screen coverage, and that put us in a bind in the first quarter.”
Seniors Will Carpenter, Vince Doering, Sawyer Newton and Tim Washington were all honored before the game since it was Senior Night.
“I told him I didn’t want tonight to feel like any finale or finality, because there’s still a lot of basketball ahead of us,” George said. “But they deserve all the accolades, and they all their talents mesh really well together. They’re all good at different things, and they cover each other’s weaknesses really well, as good as really any senior group that we’ve had.”
The JC game was the Indians’ second consecutive loss, after being clapped by Hayden 68-53 on Feb. 17.
“It was a bad night to have a bad night,” George said. “The season becomes a grind and it’s long, and you’re on the road on a Tuesday night after an emotional win on a Friday night. I just think that we didn’t have the competitive drive and the communication and focus.”
The Indians managed to squeak past Topeka High 58-55 on Feb. 13. The night belonged to Doering who not only scored a career-high 24 points, but also notched his 64th steal of the season, making him the new program single season steals leader.
“Feels great,” Doering said. “But it feels better to get the win.”
Carpenter was a lot less modest about his teammate’s accomplishment.
“He’s a dog,” Carpenter said. “He’s been doing it since…second grade. He’s just been plucking people. So no surprise. Good for him. I’m proud.”
