A bad second quarter doomed the Manhattan High boys in Tuesday’s 68-53 loss to Hayden in Topeka.
After squeaking out a close 55-53 win over the Wildcats at home back in January, things looked to be headed toward another tight game as MHS (14-5, 5-2) led by a point, 18-17, after the first quarter.
But that’s where things took a turn. The Wildcats (11-9, 4-4) outscored Manhattan High 22-11 in the second quarter. The Indians trailed by as much as 20 and went into the half down 39-29.
That lead grew to 14 points by the end of the third quarter and 14 by the final buzzer.
The loss drops Manhattan High into a tie for first with Emporia, who would have the edge after beating MHS earlier this month. The two squads will meet again in Emporia next week.
For MHS, Sawyer Newton led the way with 17 points, followed by Will Carpenter with 12, Vince Doering with 7, Tyson Hattrup with 7, Asher Newton with 4 and Graham Braxmeyer and Tim Washington with 3.
Carpenter’s two 3s moved him into the top 10 in school history in 3-pointers made in a season.
For Hayden, Connor Hanika had 22, Carter Compton had 15, Mason Becker had 10, Jace Wolff had 9, Ben Tourtillott had 7, Kade Mitchell had 3 and Makhi Kidd had 2.
Manhattan High will look to rebound on Friday when it hosts rival Junction City for the second game of the season series. The Indians topped the Blue Jays by a point, 49-48, when the two teams met in Junction City on Jan. 13.
HAYDEN 68,
MANHATTAN 53
Hayden (11-9, 4-4) — 17; 22; 15; 14; — 68
MHS (14-5, 5-2) — 18; 11; 11; 13; — 53
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
MHS — S. Newton 17, Carpenter 12, Doering 7, Hattrup 7, A. Newton 4, Braxmeyer 3, Washington 3.
Hayden — Hanika 22, Compton 15, Becker 10, Wolff 9, Tourtillott 7, Mitchell 3, Kidd 2.