Manhattan High boys’ basketball saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end Thursday afternoon, falling 55-43 to Olathe East in the opening round of the Tournament of Champions.

The Indians had chances throughout the afternoon but couldn’t generate enough offense late, scoring just six points in the fourth quarter after trailing by one at halftime. Manhattan entered the break down 26-25, but Olathe East used a third-quarter push to create separation and closed out the game down the stretch.

“The loss hurts,” head coach Benji George said. “It’s a hurt locker room right now because of how we had it going. The loss hurts for two reasons — we haven’t lost in a while, so you kind of forget how much you hate it.”

Olathe East pulled ahead with an 18-12 third quarter, then held Manhattan to six points in the final frame. The Indians finished the game shooting 17-of-44 (38.6%) from the field and struggled to maintain rhythm offensively as fatigue set in.

“I thought we got lazy on offense at times and fatigued,” George said. “We really let fatigue make the decisions for us on offense.”

Manhattan was led by Vince Doering’s 11 points, while Will Carpenter and Tim Washington added 10 apiece. Washington’s pair of 3-pointers late in the first half helped keep the Indians within striking distance heading into halftime.

“We needed it,” George said. “I liked the way we ended the first half there, because things were getting bad in a hurry in the first half, and he saved us a little going into halftime.”

Easton Duff provided a spark off the bench, finishing with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Sawyer Newton scored four.

Olathe East was led by Ty Mwenda’s 20 points, as the guard buried six 3-pointers to provide the perimeter scoring that helped swing the opener.

“Give them credit — the tough shots they made,” George said. “I told the team I take this one 100%. I have to do a better job in scouting, and I didn’t have us ready to rebound the way we were going to need to rebound.”

Despite the disappointment, George said the loss serves as a reminder for a group that had surged through the first month of the season.

“A lot went into this game,” he said. “The bracket came out last Wednesday, so a lot went into it from a prep standpoint. It’s almost like losing the first game of the season. I told them it’s mountains and valleys. You’re never as good as you think you are when you win, and you’re never as bad as you think you are when you lose. We just have to respond tomorrow the way champions would.”

Manhattan continues Tournament of Champions play against Dodge City at 2:30 p.m., after press time.

OLATHE EAST 55,

MANHATTAN 43

Olathe East (8-3) — 12; 14; 18; 11 — 55

Manhattan (9-2) — 10; 15; 12; 6 — 43

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Manhattan — Doering 11, Carpenter 10, Washington 10, Duff 8, Sawyer Newton 4

Olathe East — Mwenda 20, Allholm 12, Boster 9, Weikal 9, Burton 3, Washington 1