Jason Kim led three players in double figures and the Manhattan High boys basketball team hit all but four of 30 free throws attempted in Friday’s 66-58 semifinal win over Wichita East at the Tournament of Champions in Dodge City.
Kim scored 17, Ian McNabb 14 and Thursday’s hero, Landon Knopp, added 12 as the Indians won their seventh straight.
Manhattan led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but Wichita East rallied to take a two point lead at the break before the teams would trade points through the second half. The game had a total of nine ties before being settled.
The Indians began to pull away once they gained an edge on the glass, eventually pulling down 39 rebounds to 35 for the Blue Aces. That forced Wichita East into fouling to try and gain possessions, but the Indians 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter to finish off the victory.
Manuel Martinez scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds for the Blue Aces, who will play for third at the TOC Saturday afternoon. Ismael Berry added 14 and nine as East fell to 4-7 on the year.
Manhattan’s win means they’ll play for the tournament title at five Saturday, with coverage at 4:45 on Newsradio KMAN. They’ll face either 6A #1 Wichita Heights or Maize. Those teams play the second semifinal Friday at 7:30pm.
The Indians have won the TOC only once previously in school history. In the 1973 tournament, the Tribe beat Coffeyville, Dodge City and KC Ward in claiming the title, then lost in the championship to Goddard in 1974. Saturday’s game will be the third time the Indians have played for the title, with the other being in 2010, when they lost to Shawnee Mission South.
