Boys' Basketball Team Lose To Alexandria
10 Dec 2008

by Eric Christiansen
Before the 2008-09 season, Manchester boys’ basketball coach Gary Goshert knew there would be some bumps in the road with his young team. Last Thursday, the Squires nearly cleared the hurdle, but fell short at Alexandria 63-49.
“Regardless of records, or who we play, we want to continue to work on the little things that will make us a better basketball team,” Goshert said. “Tonight, we did a lot of good things, but we also have a lot of things to work on.
“Eventually, we are going to get better, and I think tonight was a step in the right direction,” he said.
With the score tied 27-27 midway through the third quarter, Alexandria took control of the game outscoring the Squires 22-10 over a 5:00 span.
Having been blown out in their past two games, Goshert was pleased with the improvement he saw in his team.
“Our execution was better in a lot of areas,” Goshert said. “We played a really strong defensive game in the first half, but they kind of chipped away at as in the second half.
“Understanding where we need to be in certain situations, against the press, for example, will make us a better basketball team,” he continued.
Scott Baker got things going for the Squires early on, scoring two quick baskets. A Ryan Binkley three pointer gave Manchester a 9-6 lead, but Alexandria responded with an 8-2 run to lead 13-11.
Evening things up for the Squires was Aric Howard with an inside bucket, but Alexandria’s Mitch Yeagy give the Tigers a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter.
Binkley opened the second quarter with a three pointer, but the Tigers answered with a 10-0 run to lead 25-16.
The Squires got themselves back into the game, tying things up at 27-27 with an 11-2 run, but the Squires were never able to take the lead.
“It’s encouraging that we didn’t give up when we were down a couple of times,” Goshert said. “We struggled defensively at times, not keeping track of our man. We are still getting used to the speed of the game. A lot of our varsity players, including some starters were playing C-team last year. We’ll just keep working at it, and with the way these boys have been working, I know we’ll continue to improve.”
Austin Crockett and Aaron Olinger both led Manchester with 10 points each. Austin Flack and Binkley both had nine points, Scott Baker had six, while Howard and Coltin Jenks each had two.
The Squires will host Homestead this Saturday with the JV game starting at 6:15.