The phrase ‘look on the bright side’ is a very fitting one to describe what some players on the Manhattan High girls basketball team are doing after placing third in the Hays Shootout tournament for the first time in the past few years.

The season opener against William Chrisman went great for MHS, as it appeared that the team was playing very well. The statistics sheet supported that theory as senior Chrissy Carr dominated the court by scoring 19 points, seven of which came from free throws. Followed by Carr were seniors Kia Wilson and Megan Worthington who both tallied up 11 points. MHS took their first win of the season 59-37. The next day they would play St. Thomas Aquinas, the defending 5A state champions and lose 24-36.

“We didn’t play bad,” Wilson said. “We could have done some better things, I think it was just good for us to be able to see some competition. Sometimes I think we settle with less competition, but we need more in order to be ready for big games like the state tournament or other games we have to play like Washburn or something so it’s good to be able to play them. I don’t think we really did anything different, they were just a different team.”

The current situation that the MHS girls Varsity basketball is in resembles a situation from last season, specifically when they lost to Olathe South in the McPherson tournament. Some team members say this loss was vital in order for them to become ready for the state championship, as the Centennial League and beating teams by landslides did not offer them much competition. Despite losing, the team still managed to play well throughout the tournament.

“I would say we communicated well,” Wilson said. “I mean there’s always room for improvement but I think we did a good job of communicating. We really pushed making unselfish plays, trying to make the team better and making the extra pass instead of just shooting whenever we are open, because that might not be what’s best for the team and by the end of it I think we did really well with all of that.”

Although the team did lose against Olathe South last year, it did not stop them from bouncing back and dominating the next game like usual. That is exactly the case again this year as the day after losing to St. Thomas Aquinas, they beat Great Bend 65-41, giving them the third place finish.

“It felt good to bounce back with a win,” Carr said. “We were happy with how the weekend went, we are excited for all the games to come. In the third game we emphasized rebounding, and assists. We really focused on making our team better as a whole.”

Manhattan returns to action on Friday, as it hosts Dodge City to open its home slate. After the opening tournament, the Lady Indians now know what they need to improve on to be successful.

“I think that the way that we played, through even our loss, was a good show of how we can play,” Wilson said, “and so I’m excited for future games and reps. We have lost now, so we know what we need to work on.”