Manhattan High girls’ basketball put an exclamation point on its regular season Friday night, downing Washburn Rural 61-46 on the road to clinch a share of the Centennial League title.

It marks the program’s first league championship since the 2017-18 season.

The win moves Manhattan to 18-5 overall and 8-2 in league play, earning its share of the league title alongside Topeka High, which closed the season on a nine-game win streak.

In a rivalry setting with title implications on the line, Manhattan delivered from the opening tip and never let control slip, completing the season sweep of Washburn Rural.

The Indians led 16-8 after one quarter, and carried a 30-24 advantage into halftime. After the Junior Blues closed the gap slightly, MHS struck right back and extended the margin to 44-33 entering the fourth before closing out the win.

And fittingly, it was one of the seniors who delivered the final touch.

With four seconds remaining, Delaney Larson banked in a 3-pointer for a symbolic finish to a championship night for a senior class that has anchored the program for years.

Larson and fellow senior guard Kat Ball have been staples in Manhattan’s lineup throughout their careers. The duo was recently recognized with McDonald’s All-American West nominations.

On Friday, Manhattan showcased the depth and balance that has defined its season. The Indians placed four players in double figures, led by Evie Banks’ 16 points. Ball and Bailey Busch each added 14, while Larson finished with 10. Jelena Depusoir chipped in five and Ansley Becket added two.

Washburn Rural, which fell to 15-8 overall and 5-5 in league play, was paced by three in double figures who each scored 10 points. Kansas State commit Maddie Vickery, in her return to the rivalry matchup after a knee injury, finished with six.

For a Manhattan senior class that has endured and grown through the rivalry battles, including snapping a 19-game skid to Washburn Rural earlier this season, Friday’s performance was more than just another win.

It was a championship statement.

Now the focus shifts to postseason positioning, with hosting opportunities at stake for a potential sub-state final appearance. And it may come down to chance.

In the 6A West sub-state standings, Manhattan and Wichita East are tied at 18-5, and even in point differential. With that standard tiebreaker exhausted, a coin flip will determine who earns the No. 4 seed and who falls to the No. 5 slot.

MANHATTAN 61,

WASHBURN RURAL 46

MHS (18-5, 8-2) — 16; 14; 14; 17; — 61

W. Rural (15-8, 5-5) — 8; 16; 9; 13; — 46

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

MHS — Banks 16, Ball 14, Busch 14, Larson 10, Depusoir 5, Becket 2

W. Rural — Hirschi 10, Walker 10, Anderson 10, Carlgren 7, Vickery 6, Smith 3