Manhattan High girls’ basketball used a fast start and a flurry of 3-pointers to down Dodge City 64–23 on Friday night.

Junior forward Jelena Depusoir tied senior Delaney Larson for the team-high with 10 points, and Depusoir added 15 rebounds to secure her second straight double-double.

“She’s been huge,” head coach Scott Mall said. “Two double-doubles in a row is big for us, and we need that. We’re not a really big team, but she just finds a way to always be in there.”

The Indians improved to 4–1 after a jam-packed start to the season, continuing a trend of early energy that has helped them take control of games from the opening tip.

“That’s always big in games like this,” Mall said. “I thought the girls came out with a lot of energy. It’s been a long week and a long couple of weeks, but they still came out ready to play. We liked what we did defensively, and we moved the ball well on offense.”

How it happened

Manhattan set the tone early, knocking down five 3-pointers to open the game and jumping out to a 20–0 lead before Dodge City finally got on the board late in the first quarter. The Indians led 20–2 after one, forcing 12 turnovers in the period and creating havoc on both ends of the floor.

Despite struggles inside the arc, Manhattan found its rhythm from distance.

“It’s a little different,” Mall said. “You’d like to score inside all the time. We get some great looks underneath and can’t always get them to go. Sometimes we get a little hyped up and need to relax. But when we got the ball reversed, that’s what got us some wide-open shots, and the girls did a good job hitting them.”

Manhattan’s offense cooled briefly early in the second quarter but surged again before halftime. After pulling down several rebounds in the half, Depusoir capped the run by knocking down a 3-pointer to send the Indians into the break with a 35–8 lead.

“That was a treat to see,” Mall said. “She’s not a 3-point shooter, so when she hits one like that, it’s fun. Jelena is the biggest cheerleader for everybody, so it was nice to get to cheer for her.”

The Indians finished the first half just 3-of-20 on 2-point field goals, matching Dodge City’s total made field goals, but Manhattan made the difference from deep, hitting 8-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Depusoir secured her double-double just after halftime — even counting only her offensive rebounds — and Manhattan continued to pull away in the third quarter. The Indians led 59–20 entering the fourth, triggering a running clock and allowing the bench to close out the game while still extending the margin.

“That’s always nice,” Mall said of depth playing a key role for Manhattan early this season. “There’s going to come a time in a big game when a great defensive player takes someone out. So it’s good to have everybody figuring out where they can help us. In big games, Kat and Delaney are going to step up, but nights like this help everyone find their role.”

Manhattan now turns its attention to a road test on Monday at Shawnee Heights.

“We’ve got a really good challenge coming up,” Mall said. “We go to Shawnee Heights, and they always have a quality team. They’ve got a really good point guard and three transfers who can all play. It’s going to really challenge us, and we have to be ready to play.”

MANHATTAN 64,

DODGE CITY 23

Manhattan (4-1) — 20; 15; 24; 5 — 64

Dodge City (1-2) — 2; 6; 12; 3 — 23

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Manhattan — Larson 10 (3-10), Depusoir 10 (4-7), Jorryn Hall 9 (3-9), Salmans 6 (3-3), Henry 3 (1-5), Ingram 6 (2-4), Ball 6 (2-5), Busch 2 (1-5), Joss Hall 2 (1-3), Banks 7 (2-8); Total: 64 (22-59)

Dodge City — Taylor 10 (3-7), Bell 3 (1-3), Guiterriez (2-15), Piper Mellinger 3 (1-1); Total: 23 (7-33)