Manhattan High girls’ basketball continued its strong stretch on the road Tuesday night, pulling away early and never letting up in a 71-32 win at Great Bend.
The Indians, ranked No. 7 in Class 6A, led 37-18 at halftime and steadily widened the margin in each of the first three quarters before cruising through the fourth to improve to 12-3 overall.
Manhattan set the tone early, taking a 17-10 lead after the first quarter before opening things up in the second. The Indians outscored Great Bend 20-8 in the period to take control heading into the break.
The separation grew coming out of halftime, as Manhattan delivered its strongest stretch of the night in the third quarter. The Indians poured in 26 points while holding Great Bend to just six, turning the game into a runaway before the final eight minutes. The fourth quarter ended even at 8-8, with Manhattan comfortably in control.
Offensively, the Indians spread the production around. Kat Ball led the way with 17 points, including 12 in the second half, while Jorryn Hall finished with 14 points, 12 coming in the first half. Evie Banks added 12, and Jelena Depusoir chipped in 9.
Ball’s performance followed the news of herself and fellow senior Delaney Larson being named McDonald’s All-American West nominees this week.
Also scoring for Manhattan were Stella Salmans (5), Larson (5), Bailey Busch (4), Ansley Becket (4) and Avery Ingram (1). Great Bend was led by Alex Mayers with 8 points, followed by Stevie Mayers with 6.
The win capped another efficient road performance for Manhattan, which took three wins in a stretch of four straight games away from home. MHS returns home Friday as Centennial League play resumes with a matchup against Emporia.
MANHATTAN 71,
GREAT BEND 32
Manhattan (12-3) — 17; 20; 26; 8 — 71
Great Bend (3-13) — 10; 8; 6; 8 — 32
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Manhattan — Ball 17, Jor. Hall 14, Banks 12, Depusoir 9, Salmans 5, Larson 5, Busch 4, Becket 4, Ingram 1
Great Bend — A. Mayers 8, S. Mayers 6, Ringo 5, McCauley 3, M. Mazouch 2, K. Mazouch 1