By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The 2022-23 season was a step in the right direction for Coach Austin Kingsolver and his Manchester Greyhounds boys basketball squad, though it came to an end on February 24 in the Division IV sectional finals. After knocking off Racine Southern in the sectional semis, the Hounds faced a long trip and a challenging opponent when they ventured to Federal Hocking to face the #2 seeded Lancers.
As heavy underdogs (if you follow seeding), the Greyhounds gave the host Lancers all they could ask for in the first half before fading in the final two quarters and seeing their season end in a 65-44 defeat. The Manchester boys came out of the gates showing no fear and racked up 17 first quarter points, getting scoring contributions from Parker Hayslip, Braylan Roberts, Connor Darnell, Drew Kennedy and Leland Horner, all that adding to a one-point lead after the opening period.
A Darnell three-pointer sparked the Hounds in the second quarter, though he Lancers rallied to take a 32-30 halftime lead. From that point on, however, the going got tough for the visitors from Adams County.
A 19-7 third quarter in favor of Federal Hocking turned the tables and gave the home team a 51-37 lead after three and that propelled them into a 14-7 fourth quarter, that resulted in the 65-44 win that sent the Lancers into the Division IV district tournament.
“In the first half, I thought we did a pretty good job of executing the game plan and forcing them to take a lot of tough shots,” said Coach Kingsolver. “We handled their pressure well and matched their energy. In the second half, they started to get loose a little bit and hit some tough shots. That’s what swung the momentum in their favor, and we never could get back over the hump. Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball particularly well.”
In the season-ending loss, the Greyhounds were led by two players in double figures. Drew Kennedy, one of the most improved players in the area, led the Hounds with 11, while Leland Horner added 10. Connor Darnell scored 9, Braylan Roberts 6, and in his final game in the blue and gold, senior Aaron Lucas added 5.
The Greyhounds finished the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 9-15, though they were in numerous games that could have easily gone either way. The team loses a trio of seniors in Aaron Lucas, Quentin Lucas and Karson Reaves and will return a nucleus of players that should bode well for their fortunes next winter.
“I’m really proud of our team and the growth that we have shown over the course of the season,” said Kingsolver. “We came into the year having very little varsity experience. You could see the growth that these kids made week after week.”
“It’s tough losing this group of seniors. I’m confident that they will all go on to be fantastic people, husbands, fathers, and productive members of society. These seniors laid the groundwork for any success that we may have as a program moving forward. We bring back a lot of key pieces. I look for us to have a very productive summer and hopefully put it all together for seasons to come moving forward.”
Connor Darnell was the team’s leading scorer on the season, averaging 12.0 points a game, with Kennedy next at 9.7 and Aaron Lucas at 8.1. Kennedy was the team’s leading rebounder (6.1), while Darnell led the team with 36 made three-pointers as the Hounds averaged 52 points a game.