Girls hold off TMP late, advance in season-opening tournament

Greg Woods, Online Editor-in-Chief

Perhaps the biggest shot from the Manhattan High girls basketball team’s season-opening 56-47 win over Thomas More Prep-Marian Thursday night wasn’t a made shot at all.

It may have come from a freshman, in fact.

After junior Gigi McAtee connected on a free throw to put the Lady Indians up 50-47 with less than a minute remaining, she misfired on the second attempt, but freshman Kia Wilson grabbed the offensive rebound and stuck it back for two more.

The putback helped lift MHS to a first-round win over the Monarchs to advance in the Hays City Shoot-Out. The Lady Indians move on to play Newton Friday.

In a stark contrast from last season, three freshmen saw the court. A year ago, MHS played six seniors.

But the same freshmen were able to help pull out the win: Wilson, along with Garrin Williams and Haleigh Harper, combined for 21 points.

Senior Madison Mittie led Manhattan in scoring, tallying 16 points on the night. She said it was nice to get the first win on the year, especially in a closely-contested game.

“It feels really good,” Mittie said. “They were a lot better team than, I think, we expected. We’re glad that we put ourselves in this place, in this position.”

The difference in halves was evident. The first two frames saw back-and-forth action, neither team able to pull away. The Lady Indians held a 13-9 advantage after one quarter, and behind three triples — two from Mittie — Manhattan entered the break up 28-25.

The third frame didn’t see a spike in offense from either side, but the Lady Indians’ defense allowed them a lead. MHS ended the third on a short 5-0 spurt for a 38-31 lead entering the final period.

TMP got within two with three minutes remaining, but Mittie and McAtee combined for 7-for-8 at the free throw line over the final two minutes to ice the game.

The Lady Indians face Newton Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Hays High School.