After four years of frustration, the Manhattan High boys basketball team finally broke through at the newly renovated Junction City High School, edging the rival Blue Jays 49–48 on Tuesday night.

The victory was Manhattan’s first-ever win in the building since it opened in 2021 and snapped a four-game skid in the rivalry, moving the Indians to 8–1 overall and 2–0 in Centennial League play.

For head coach Benji George, who earned his 151st career win, it was the gritty, character-defining victory that his program prides itself on.

“Give Junction City a lot of credit,” George said. “They did a good job of making it ugly. We were sloppy at times, but they had something to do with that. To go down seven with about two minutes left in the third and still find a way—it’s almost sweeter that way. Our guys wanted to be the first Manhattan team to win in this building, and they earned it.”

How it happened

Manhattan stormed out behind senior Sawyer Newton, who scored eight of the Indians’ first eight points while his team forced seven early turnovers. Junction City fought back on the strength of senior Lovell Autry, who scored eight first-half points to keep the Blue Jays close, and the teams entered halftime with Manhattan on top 19–17.

Junction City swung control after the break. Senior Lovell Autry poured in six straight points, and teammate Khaliel Walker drilled a deep three as the Blue Jays surged to their largest lead of the night, 38–30, entering the fourth quarter.

Then Manhattan flipped the script. Junior Easton Duff, playing in just his third game since returning from injury, caught fire to open the final period. Duff buried two tough finishes at the rim, senior Will Carpenter added a clutch three, and Sawyer Newton scored inside to complete an 8–0 run that tied the game.

Duff finished with 13 points, including 12 after halftime, to lead the Indians, while Sawyer Newton and junior Vince Daring each added 12.

“Easton’s a crafty lefty,” George said. “He shimmied on a few of those moves and really froze their defense. We were searching for something, and we found it with him and Sawyer in the middle. We just stuck with it.”

Down the stretch, defense made the difference. Manhattan forced 23 turnovers, including a pair of game-defining plays from junior Henry Witt, who drew a charge and created a five-second violation in the final two minutes. Junction City coughed up the ball with 2.9 seconds remaining before a desperate full-court heave hit the backboard as time expired—sealing the Indians’ one-point win.

“Henry just makes winning plays,” George said. “He takes a charge, forces a turnover, and you can see why he’s one of the top guards in our league.”

Road Warriors

Tuesday’s win capped a demanding four-game road swing, all against quality opponents, during which Manhattan went unbeaten.

“We do a little ‘road warrior’ celebration in the locker room,” George said with a grin. “The guys have really bought into that. Four in a row on the road is hard to do. I told them to be proud, but now it’s time to get back to work.”

The win also moved George within two victories of becoming Manhattan High’s all-time leader in career wins.

Up next

Manhattan returns home Friday night for the first time since December, hosting Topeka-Hayden at 7:45 p.m. The Indians will then head west next week for the Dodge City Tournament of Champions.

MANHATTAN 49

JUNCTION CITY 48

Manhattan — 11; 19; 30; 49 — 49

Junction City — 7; 17; 36; 48 — 48

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Manhattan — Duff 13, Doering 12, Sawyer Newton 12, Carpenter 8, Washington 2, Asher Newton 2

Junction City — Autry 24, Walker 9, Hollie 4, Boeckman 4, Lanier 2, Briley 2, Thompson 2, Allen 1