The Manchester Academy Mavericks pulled out an incredible win on Jan. 3 against Central Holmes Christian School.
With the holiday break still in effect and some students still away with family, Coach Jacob Iles only had five players eligible to participate in the game.
"As long as I had five I was going to play the game," Coach Iles said. "I had four sophomores and one junior, and no substitutes. The boys knew they were underdogs, and they all understood what we were up against and were prepared to play no matter what."
Parks Poe, Jon Riley Poe, Dylan Dendy, Upton Hitt, and Will Peeler stepped out onto the floor prepared to play a full 32 minute game with little to no rest in between.
"We like to play with a little speed so we had to pick our spots, we had to be smart about it, we had to know when to run and when not to run," said Coach Iles. "They were very tired and we were struggling toward the end. I had to use timeouts where I thought they would be the most useful as far as rest, and we made sure that they had plenty of water."
The Mavericks kept going steadily for the first half, and in the 3rd quarter were leading by about 17 points. Coach Iles said that Central Holmes was able to score several three-point shots which chipped away at their lead to about 9 points.
"After that it became a free-throw game," said Coach Iles. "We were able to make it down the stretch, break the press and get some easy baskets so that we had time to extend the lead and hold it. We won 64-52."
Coach Iles said that all five boys contributed to the win and every player scored points in their best defensive game of the season. Parks Poe scored 22 points in the game, while Jon Riley Poe scored 10 and Dylan Dendy Scored 19. Upton Hitt led in defense with 13 rebounds and added 11 points to the board. Will Peeler also contributed by making free-throws.
"They seem to play the best when their back is against the wall," said Coach Iles. "It was great, it was a difficulty challenge that was placed in front of us and we had to fight through it for a night."
In other news, the Mavericks broke even in a holiday tournament hosted at Manchester on December 28-29. The Manchester Boys fell to Clinton Christian School 52-47, but defeated Sharkey-Issaquena 52-45.
With a current record of 7 wins and 5 losses, Coach Iles said that the Mavericks are getting prepared for district, and will be playing their next few games on the road.
The Mavericks will next face off against Benton Academy on Friday, Jan. 11.
