Manchester Academy’s boys basketball season came to an end on Thursday night when they fell 30-13 to Indianola Academy in the second round of the North AAA State Tournament.
The game was one of the quicker games that was seen on a high school basketball court this year due to the ball being held for two full quarters of play.
According to Manchester head basketball coach John Harris, the slowed pace gave the Mavericks the best opportunity to win.
“The big story of the night was the ball being held for two quarters,” Harris said. “They’re probably the team to beat in AAA this year. They’re a little too big, a little too long, and a little too athletic for us. We didn’t handle the press well. We kind of froze up. We made them guard us across the entire half, and when they didn’t get on us, we held the ball. I would take going into the half down nine against them.”
After winning the tip, a guard tossed up the ball to Brandon Kimble, who signed a basketball scholarship with Delta State, for an alley-oop in the first five seconds of the game, a foreshadowing of sorts of things to come.
The athleticism of Indianola was evident early, and the full-court pressure gave Manchester fits. Twice the Mavs were unable to get past half court, and when they did, attempts to slow the game down resulted in turnovers.
In the second quarter, Harris pulled out a play right from legendary Yazoo coach Archie Carlyle’s book by having his guard hold the ball near half court to shorten the game. Seconds went by and then minutes until only 10 seconds remained.
With little time remaining in the first half, the Mavericks tried to get a shot off, but their attempt was no good. They had achieved the elusive 0-0 quarter, making it 13-4 at the half.
The Colonels came out of the half and decided to give Harris a taste of his own medicine in the third quarter. In a shocking move to everyone in the gym, Indianola’s guard dribbled to half court and held the ball there for 7:45. The anticipation built and built and built, and the various chants and cheers that rang out in an attempt to motivate the teams fell on deaf ears. All would be forced to wait.
Unlike the Mavericks, the Colonels’ last second shot, another dunk by Kimble, was a successful one.
The decision to hold the ball was one that shocked Harris.
“It really surprised me,” Harris said. “In a way, I respect it. They thought if I wasn’t going to play, they weren’t either. But I was going to take being down only nine points heading into the fourth.”
In the fourth quarter, the scoring picked back up, and the Colonels didn’t skip a beat. They outscored Manchester 15-9 to win the game 30-13, ending the season for the Mavericks.
According to Harris, the Colonels had arguably the best player he has seen this year in Brandon Kimble.
“He is probably the best player we’ve seen this year,” Harris said. “He’s definitely the best. To have his ball handling skills and passing skills at his size is incredible at this level. He’s already signed with Delta State, and he could have a bright future in basketball if he adds some weight.”
The Mavericks ended the season with a 10-20 record.
