Jonathon Taylor scored a career-high 12 points as the Manhattan High boys basketball team beat Maize 49-39 on Friday afternoon in the consolation semifinals of the McPherson Invitational. The Tribe bounced back against the Eagles following a 55-45 loss to Blue Valley West on Thursday in the opening round of the tournament.
It was Maize who jumped out to a 13-9 lead after the first quarter, but Manhattan chipped their way back into the game thanks to 12 Eagle first half turnovers. Jacob Holloway closed the half with a buzzer-beating three pointer, and the Tribe carried the momentum into the second half by scoring the first eight points. Manhattan (6-4) led at that point 32-19, and Maize (2-8) wouldn’t pull any closer than seven points the rest of the way. Chris Hudgins added nine points for the Indians, while Payton Stephens and Alex Stitt had eight. Connor Lungwitz led the Eagles with a game-high 13 points.
Manhattan High boys basketball will take on Lawrence Free State for 5th place in the McPherson Invitational on Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm. Pregame from the Roundhouse begins at 3:15 on 1350KMAN.com with Rob Voelker.
