Manchester Academy’s Lady Mavericks split their games at the district tournament to take a second-place finish and punch their ticket to the north state tournament.
In game number one on Thursday, the Lady Mavs took on St. Joe.
Manchester began the game forcing St. Joe to take a lot of difficult shots, and as a result, they only gave up five points.
The offense for Manchester had good looks, but they struggled to convert them.
Still, they scored nine points to take a 9-5 lead into the second quarter.
Manchester dominated the second quarter up until the final 0:45, where St. Joe put up five quick points to keep them afloat. After winning the quarter 10-6, Manchester took a 19-11 lead into the half.
Things really clicked for Manchester offensively in the third quarter, as turnovers were converted into points, resulting in a 20-12 quarter, extending their lead to 39-23 with a quarter remaining.
Manchester cruised through the 12-12 fourth quarter to take the game 51-35.
Macy Huggins was the leading scorer for Manchester in the win with 17 points.
Gracie Jones tacked on 12 points in the winning effort.
Lanie Potter rounded out the top three in scoring with eight points.
The win propelled Manchester into the championship game on Saturday where they faced off with the Lady Saints of Greenville Christian.
An early 21-7 deficit in the championship game became a hill that the Lady Mavs would be forced to climb.
The Lady Mavs made their run in the fourth quarter of the game, but they ran out of steam in the end.
Manchester fell 43-32 to Greenville Christian.
According to Manchester Academy head basketball coach Emily Poe, the Lady Mavs were unable to overcome the early deficit.
“We got behind 21-7 in the game, and that was difficult to overcome,” Poe said. “We cut the lead to one in the fourth quarter, but that’s as close as we got. We just couldn’t hang on.”
Manchester struggled to put together offensive runs in the championship game.
Poe hopes that they can get into a better rhythm in the next tournament.
“We just couldn’t score,” Poe said. “If you look at our leading scorers from the game, we didn’t have anyone in double-digits. We struggled on offense. We have to get in a better groove offensively.”
Lanie Potter led the Lady Mavs with nine points in the loss.
Elise Sowell racked up seven points in the defeat.
Gracie Jones chipped in six points, while Macy Huggins came in right behind her with five.
While they didn’t reach the ultimate goal of winning the tournament, Poe was still extremely proud of what her team was able to accomplish.
“We still got second place,” Poe said. “We came into the tournament as the number one seed and left as a two. I’m very proud of my team for leaving the tournament with a trophy.”
The Lady Mavericks face off with Central Holmes Christian School on Wednesday night in the first round of the north state tournament.
Although the Lady Mavs won the first two meetings between the teams, Poe said you must be prepared for anything.
“We won the first two games against Central Holmes by double-digits,” Poe said. “But we’re in the playoffs now. You can never count a team out. You never know what can happen.”
Tip-off for the game is set for 7:45 p.m.
