Boys take thrilling, intense game at Hayden

Jacob Clanton, Sports Editor

With the sound of rattling, creaking bleachers filling the air, senior Tommy Ekart dribbled out the final seconds of a high-intensity game. As the clock hit 0:00, the Manhattan bench erupted in celebrated, overjoyed to get the win.

“We really wanted this win,” senior Trevor Hudgins said. “We’ve been thinking about this win since probably in June during workouts.”

Manhattan (10-3, 6-1 Centennial League) got that win, as Ekart dribbled out the clock on a 75-65 thriller over the Hayden Wildcats, helping move the Indians into a first place tie in league standings.

The start didn’t bode well for the Indians, as Hayden opened the game on a 9-2 run.

“We just missed some shots early,” junior Nate Awbrey said, “and we kind of tried to force it, just not really moving the ball at first.”

Though MHS seemed off in the first quarter, Hayden junior DeShawn Hanika was not, as he scored 13 of his 26 points in the frame. Hanika’s big quarter led to a 15-10 Wildcat lead at the end of one quarter.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Manhattan slowly eating away at the lead. A 7-1 run, capped by a Hudgins circus shot, gave the Indians a lead late in the half, before sophomore Levi Braun hit two 3-pointers to give Hayden a 28-26 halftime lead.

“We were missing easy shots,” head coach Benji George said, “losing guys on defense, not communicating, so going into the half down two, everybody felt good because we knew we kind of weathered that storm.”

George’s message to the team at halftime was simple: it was time to find out what the Indians were made of.

Manhattan rose to the challenge, coming out of halftime with intensity. Hudgins was a leading factor, scoring breakaway layups on the way to a 13-3 run.

“[Hudgins] missed a couple shots early,” George said, “I told him at halftime, he can’t have bad body language as a leader, no matter what happens, and he took that to heart. Just a phenomenal, phenomenal talent, you know, he found something in their defense and took advantage of it.”

Hudgins would finish the game with a career-high 31 points. Seniors Tommy Ekart and Cade Roberts added 13 and 10 respectively.

Hayden sophomore Zach Harvey, a nationally-ranked player, wouldn’t let the game slip away that easily. With the Manhattan fans chanting “airball,” Harvey hit two key 3-pointers to close the third quarter. Though the Wildcats were effective from beyond the arc, Hayden’s main asset was its transition offense, something the Indians had to stop.

“They’re fast,” Hudgins said. “They’re phenomenal actually in transition O, we just try to stop ball … and make them slow down the pace of the game and everything, and make them a half-court team.”

Manhattan jumped out to a nine-point lead early in the fourth, with Hayden right on their tails. The Wildcats never got closer than six though, as the Indians made free throws down the stretch to win 75-65.

A key for Manhattan was the play of its bench. The Indians scored 13 points off the bench, eight from Awbrey alone.

“It felt good,” Awbrey said. “It’s just my teammates being able to get me open and get me buckets. I’ve definitely grown more confident [as the season’s progressed]. Just playing in these different environments and situations, it’s given me more confidence and more experience.”

As a whole, the team was proud of how it played and won.

“I’m very proud,” Hudgins said. “Everyone on the team did wonders tonight, we were absolutely amazing. We still have some things to work on, but I just love this win. We’ve been working so hard and we were so ready for this game, and it was just unbelievable, it was just amazing.”

With the win, Manhattan jumped into a tie for the league title with Washburn Rural, its next opponent.

“[The win] puts us in the driver’s seat in a lot of places,” George said. “It puts us in [the] driver’s seat in league, and it puts us in [the] driver’s seat for sub-state.”

The Indians have a chance to move into first place all alone on Tuesday night, as Washburn comes to Manhattan. Though the game is a big one for the Indians, MHS will prepare no differently than any other week.

“We’ll just get back to practice and just start watching film and just preparing for them,” Awbrey said. “Every game in this league’s going to be tough, so we got to get going to the next one. Celebrate this one tonight, but tomorrow, it’s Washburn.”