The Lady Mavericks of Manchester Academy moved to 5-2 in the conference after trouncing Central Hinds by a score of 40-23 on Thursday night.
Manchester jumped all over Central Hinds in the first quarter, outscoring them 16-6.
The second quarter was a mirror image of the first, with Manchester once again outscoring Central Hinds 16-6 to take a 32-12 lead at the half.
The pace slowed down tremendously in the second half of the game. The Lady Mavericks scored only three points in the more defensive-minded third quarter and gave up six points, making it a 35-18 game going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was also played at a slower pace, and there was an even 5-5 scoring to bring the final to 40-23.
According to Manchester Academy head basketball coach Emily Poe, the game plan shifted from an aggressive first half to a defensive second half.
“We came out shooting really well,” Poe said. “We jumped on them quick in the first half and built up a lead. We slowed things down in the third quarter. We tried to cut down on our turnovers.”
Suzanne King led the Lady Mavericks with 18 points in the big conference win.
Izzy Mills was second on the team with nine points in the victory.
Macy Huggins had six points in the winning effort.
Savell Duett had four points, while Elise Sowell rounded out the scoring with two points.
With two conference games remaining, Poe is trying to keep her team focused on the tasks at hand.
“We have two big conference games next week,” Poe said. “We have Park Place Christian and Hartfield Academy. We beat both of them, but you can’t take any games for granted. We’re trying to finish strong heading into the conference tournament.”
Manchester will return to the court on Thursday night when they host rival Tri-County Academy.
Tip-off for the first game of the night is set for 3 p.m.
