The Manhattan high girls basketball team was playing Washburn Rural for the second time this season Tuesday night inside the Manhattan high gymnasium. The first meeting between the two saw MHS erase an 11 point deficit in the third quarter to pull out a 57-51 win back on January 7th.
Tuesday’s meeting between the two was much more of a defensive struggle. Washburn Rural built a 12-11 lead at half time with both teams combining to go 10-38 from the field in the first half. Manhattan built a 22-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter but Washburn Rural hung around and eventually built a three point lead with three minutes to play in the game. MHS made key defensive stops and hit seven of nine free throws in the second half to help the Indians pull out the 33-27 victory. Darby Price led MHS with 11 points, Caroline Ballard chipped in with eight points.
The Manhattan high girls have now won six straight games since dropping their lone game of the season against Great Bend. The Lady Indians improve their record to 8-1 this season with a perfect 5-0 record in Centennial League play. The girls are back at it on Friday night at Emporia with pregame coverage beginning at 6:15 p.m.
The Manhattan high boys basketball team opens up the Dodge City Tournament of Champions on Thursday afternoon with a first round contest with Wichita Heights. Pregame coverage begins at 3:15 p.m. with tip off set for 3:30 p.m. on Newsradio 1350 KMAN.
