Of the 12 turnovers the Manhattan High boys basketball team forced in its 67-49 road win over Dodge City Saturday night, the most pivotal one may have come late in the third quarter.

Just minutes after Dodge City had claimed the lead, Manhattan snatched it back at 39-35 when senior Zach Francis drilled a triple. The Indians forced the decisive turnover when the Red Demons attempted to inbound the ball, and junior Tommy Ekart connected on yet another three from the left wing, sending his team into the final frame with a 42-35 cushion.

The MHS bench thundered its approval, mobbing Ekart amid the celebration when the buzzer sounded, and for good reason: the Indians put the contest away in the fourth quarter with 12-of-15 shooting from the free throw line.

“The shots we hit there at the end of the third quarter were huge,” head coach Benji George said. “[Ekart’s] biggest thing is confidence. When he can wipe the mistakes and play with confidence, he can be an incredible player.”

The argument could also be made, on the other hand, that the sequence was not the most crucial moment of the game, for Dodge City consistently made up for its struggles at the offensive end with physicality — perhaps most notably in the aforementioned third quarter.

After a minute and a half passed in the period, the ball rolled toward midcourt. Bodies plunged to the hardwood and tried to wrestle away possession, but to no avail. Officials whistled the play dead, and as Indians and Red Demons alike separated, arms tangled. Senior Gabe Awbrey was assessed a technical foul.

The resulting two Dodge City free throws tied the game, but George said the incident did more good than bad.

“I think the sequence with Gabe’s technical kind of refocused everybody,” he said. “It ticked everybody off enough to where we kind of refocused.”

Despite Awbrey picking up his fourth foul later in the period, the revitalization was evident when the only noise audible when the third quarter ended came from Manhattan and its fans.

A week removed from a career-high night of 32 points, Awbrey logged just 11 Saturday, but the MHS scoring was balanced overall. Ekart also posted 11, and the Indians were led by senior Grant Munsen, who registered 12 points, six of which came via post moves underneath in the final eight minutes.

“We really felt like if we could get him the ball in some space and isolation, that he could use his quickness and athleticism to an advantage,” George said. “There’s definitely moments there when he did. He was another one who really rose to the occasion tonight.”

Munsen scored only two of those points in the first half, however, a half in which Dodge City refused to let the game slip away.

MHS took a 19-12 lead after one quarter, due in part to Ekart’s production. The junior tallied eight points in the first alone, six via two long balls.

But the Indians turned the the ball over five times in the second frame, including on back-to-back occasions near the end of the quarter. The gaffes later turned into a three for the Red Demons’ Eric Reid, trimming Manhattan’s lead to 27-22 at the break.

After a third quarter that may have better belonged on the big screen, Dodge City climbed within two in the fourth, but the Indians’ free throw shooting was the difference. Manhattan ended the game on a 22-9 run, 12 of which points were recorded at the foul line.

“I like that we were put in a very tough spot with fouls and with losing a lead, and we just responded really well. I think that’s the thing we take away from it,” George said. “We can weather the storm a little bit and have certain guys step up.”

The second-year head coach will take the win, but he noted that his team could have done better in the rebounding category.

“Sometimes winning is a good deodorant for the stench of some things, and I think one thing we need to focus on is rebounding,” George said. “We weren’t very good at it tonight.”

Manhattan will get close to a week off to make strides on the glass though, as the Indians are set for a matchup with rival Junction City on Friday.

Until that, however, Manhattan gets a chance to reflect on a perfect 4-0 start to the season.