Manchester’s Parker Hayslip (1) pulls up in the lane for a jumper in the Hounds’ 66-51 loss at North Adams on December 3. Hayslip led the Greyhounds with 15 points at North Adams then came back three nights later with a 28-point performance in a loss at Fayetteville. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Manchester’s Braylan Roberts, left, battles for loose ball with North Adams’ Carson Osborne (14) as the two teams met in SHAC action in Seaman on December 3. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
To say that the schedule makers were not kind to Coach Austin Kingsolver and his Manchester Greyhounds would be a massive understatement. Running a gauntlet as bad as that of Simon Kenton, the Greyhounds saw three of their first four outings in the 2024-25 season matched up with the trio of teams that many consider the best in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference – North Adams, Fayetteville and Eastern Brown. Quite a season-opening challenge.
After opening their season with a 53-34 victory at Portsmouth Clay, the Hounds were on the road on December 3, traveling to Seaman to face the back-to-back district champion North Adams Green Devils. It was a match up of two teams with similar styles, both thriving by pushing the ball up and down the floor. That style was evident in the opening period as the two teams combined for 38 points, including six three-point buckets. Manchester got a pair of treys from Malaki Bayless while the Devils got a pair from long distance from Connor Young. A layup at the buzzer capped a 10-0 Greyhound run and gave them a 20-18 lead as the first quarter ended.
That lead disappeared in the second frame as the Devils turned up the defensive pressure and began to turn Manchester turnovers into North Adams points. Another Young three-pointer fueled a 15-1 North Adams run that propelled the home team into a 35-27 halftime advantage.
Momentum shifted again in the third quarter as the scrappy Greyhounds battled back, put together their own run of 10-0 and regained the lead at 40-39 on a Braylon Rickett basket at the 3:10 mark. A three-point play from Jayce Rothwell gave the lead back to the home team and after three-balls from Manchester’s Parker Hayslip and North Adams’ Carson Osborne, the Devils took a 49-45 advantage into the final eight minutes.
With 4:57 to play, a three-pointer by Hayslip tied the game at 51, but those were the final points the Hounds were to score. Again, the Devils turned up the defensive heat and again the Hounds turned the ball over, enough so that the home team scored the final 15 points of the contest. That huge run was “coffin nails” as the Greyhounds fell by a final score of 66-51.
“It seemed that they turned every one of our turnovers into points,” said Coach Kingsolver after the loss. “They just went on more runs than we did and we only went like 5 for 26 from three, if three or four more of those drop, you never know. That might have been the hardest I’ve had a team play since I’ve been here. We played just six kids and those six gave it all they had.”
“I think we are getting better, which is a positive. Defensively, I thought we played really well in the half-court setting.”
The victorious Devils won with a balanced attack that saw four senior starters in double figures, led by 17 points from Carson Osborne, with Breestin Schweickart adding 16, Connor Young 15 and Jayce Rothwell 11. The Greyhounds were paced by 18 points from junior Parker Hayslip, with Braylon Rickett and Malaki Bayless each scoring 9.
The road trips got no easier for the Greyhounds on Friday night as they traveled to Fayetteville to face the Rockets, chosen in preseason polls as the favorite to win the SHAC small school division. Once again, the Hounds had victory within their sights late in the game but let it slip away.
The Greyhounds put together a solid first half, leading 34-20 at halftime, but saw that slip away in the third quarter, not because they played poorly, but because Fayetteville played really well, according to Coach Kingsolver. Manchester was still up by two with 8.7 seconds left when the Rockets hit one of two from the strip to trail by just one. Parker Hayslip was fouled but missed both and the Rockets grabbed the rebound pushed it up the court and got a game-winning three at the horn for the 61-59 triumph.
Hayslip had a huge offensive night for the Hounds, scoring 28 points, joined in double figures by Braylan Roberts with 12 and Braylon Rickett with 10. The Hounds went 14 for 19 from the foul line, but three of those misses came in the game’s final minute.
There is little rest for the weary as the Greyhounds were at least back on their home court on Tuesday night, facing the Eastern Warriors, who were favored to win the SHAC big school title and will be starting from a 20-point loss to North Adams. On Friday, December 13 the Hounds will host Ripley in conference play and then the next day at 12:30 p.m. will be on the court at Shawnee State University to face the Piketon Redstreaks in the Battle in the 740.
BOX SCORE
Manchester
20 7 18 6 —51
North Adams
18 17 14 17 —66
Manchester (51): Crabtree 3 0-0 6, Hayslip 7 1-2 18, Horner 2 0-0 4, Rickett 4 1-3 9, Roberts 2 1-4 5, Bayless 3 1-2 9, Team 21 4-11 51.
N. Adams (66): Rogers 1 0-0 3, Osborne 7 0-0 17, Rothwell 5 1-2 11, Schweickart 7 2-2 16, Young 6 0-0 15, Davis 0 0-0 0, Kennedy 1 0-0 2, DeAtley 1 0-0 2, Team 26 3-4 66.
Three-Point Goals:
Manchester (5)- Hayslip 3, Bayless 2
N. Adams (7)- Rogers 1, Osborne 3, Young 3
