Big Second Half Boosts Lady Squires To Win
17 Jan 2008

After suffering through four straight losses, the Manchester Lady Squires got back on the winning track Monday night, rolling to a 41-24 win over Blackhawk Christian.
Manchester used a 15-3 run to turn a four point game late in the first half into a rout.
“I’m happy to get a win, but I’m not happy for me, I’m happy for the girls,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “They worked really hard tonight, and played a total team game.”
The Lady Squires used a balanced scoring attack, and smothering defense to take control of the game.
Laci Welches and Julie Seifert used back to back baskets to take a 4-0 lead, but Blackhawk went on a 7-2 run to lead 7-6.
Bucka Guthrie responded with an inside basket, followed by back to back three pointers from Noelle Patrick to give the Lady Squires a 14-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Blackhawk cut the lead to 18-16, but Manchester went on a 17-3 run, with five different players scoring, to take a 35-19 lead.
“I really liked our effort the entire game,” Underwood said. “We sometimes go through some offensive slumps, but defense is always something that you can work at. I really liked our defensive effort tonight.
“Blackhawk Christian is a young team, and give them credit for coming in here and playing a good game,” he continued. “They’re going to get better, and next year, when we go to their place, we know they’ll be ready to play.”
Patrick led Manchester with 11 points, while Katie Bowers and Welches both had eight points. Guthrie had six points, Kyla Zile had four, and Seifert and Jessica Bedke both had two points.
Loss to Wabash
The Manchester Lady Squires were no match for Wabash for the second time this season, falling to 1-4 in the TRC and 3-12 overall with a 54-29 loss to the Lady Apaches Saturday night.
“I just don’t think that we came with the competitive attitude that you need to play against a good team and be successful,” Manchester coach Mark Underwood said. “I think that we played nervous, and didn’t play with much confidence. I know these kids are a lot better than that, and I’m hoping we can get this thing turned around in our next game Monday.”
Manchester, fell behind early, and never recovered against a hot shooting Wabash team.
Wabash’s Brooklyn Short started things off with a three pointer, followed by a basket from Jordan Fox. After a Kyla Zile three pointer, Kaleigh Hensleyhit a three pointer, followed by another Short three pointer, and a three point play from Fox, giving the Lady Apaches a 14-3 lead.
Short led Wabash with 19 points, while Fox and Hensley both finished with 12 points.
Manchester got back into the game on baskets from Julie Seifert and Amber Fratus, and two free throws each from Katie Bowers and Seifert, making it 18-11 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.
Wabash answered with an 8-0 run to take a 26-11 lead, but Manchester responded with a 6-0 run of their own, using a full court press.
Noelle Patrick hit two free throws, followed by a steal and lay up from Katie Bowers, and a rebound put back from Bowers.
Wabash ended the half with a 34-19 lead and went on a 10-2 run in the third quarter to lead 44-21 and never led Manchester get any closer.
Wabash coach Scott Bumgardner was pleased with his team’s effort, and happy to get the win.
“You’re pretty pleased when you can go on the road and win, especially in a place like Manchester,” he said. “We had control of the game pretty much from the tip, and we’re pretty pleased with where we are right now.”
Bowers led Manchester with 10 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Seifert had four points and four rebounds, Fratus had four points and two rebounds, Zile had three points and two rebounds, Patrick had three points and two steals, Laci Welches had two points and four rebounds, Denae Pyle had two points and four rebounds, and Carrie McLain had two points.
Loss to Peru
Earlier in the week, the Lady Squires fell behind to Peru 12-0, and despite a furious comeback, fell short to the Lady Tigers 52-48.
Peru used a full court press early on to take the 12-0 lead, but Manchester responded, closing out the first quarter with an 11-4 run to cut it to 16-11.
Peru outscored Manchester 13-7 to take a 29-18 halftime lead.
The Lady Squires battled back, thanks to two three pointers from Noelle Patrick, and trailed 40-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Squires took the lead with just under 4:00 left on a Kyla Zile rebound putback to make it 44-43.
The teams traded the lead, but Peru took the lead 49-48 with 50 seconds left, and hit free throws down the stretch to hold off the Lady Squires.
“We didn’t come ready to play,” Underwood said, referring to Peru’s 12-0 lead. “We got down and had 22 turnovers in the first half. We turned things around and played much better in the second half, but couldn’t quite pull it off. I was proud of the way the girls battled back and almost won.”
Manchester committed only five turnovers in the second half.
Bowers led Manchester with nine points, seven steals, four assists, and two rebounds, while Patrick had nine points and three steals, and Fratus had eight points, three steals, and three assists. Zile had six points, six rebounds, four steals, and two rebounds, Bedke had six points and two rebounds, while Audrey Johnson, Pyle, Guthrie, Seifert and Welches all had two points.
This was the first game Manchester had 10 different players score.
The Lady Squires will be at Rochester Saturday night.