Manchester’s Maddie Easter looks to shoot a reverse layup in the Lady Hounds’ win over Eastern Pike on December 6. (Photo by Crystal Roberts, MHS Yearbook)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Things have been tough in the early season for Coach Jordan Johnson and his Manchester Lady Greyhounds, but they can go into this week with their first win under their belt after opening the season with four consecutive losses. After falling to Peebles in Southern Hills Athletic Conference play, then dropping non-conference battles with Portsmouth Clay and Green the Lady Hounds were on their home court on December 4 to host the Fairfield Lady Lions.
In the Fairfield game, the Lady Hounds, who had lost those first three games by an average of over 20 points a game, kept the game competitive most of the way but could never just finish a run that might have put a scare in the Lady Lions, though the visitors led wire-to-wire. The main culprit in all that was again a case of the Lady Hounds not taking care of the basketball, being plagued by turnovers that continually cost them scoring opportunities. Manchester made a couple of second half runs but they weren’t enough to keep the Lady Lions from making the long trek back to Leesburg with a 56-41 victory.
Early in the opening period, the two teams traded baskets with the Lady Hounds getting hoops from Mahayla Brown, Maddie Easter and Hayden Rideout. A three-ball by Fairfield’s Vivian Henninger put the Lady Lions up 11-6and they led 13-8 when the first quarter ended.
Manchester’s Lyrric Hanson opened the second frame with a three-pointer that pulled her team within two but the Lady Lions reeled off the next seven to open up a 20-11 advantage. After a two-pointer from Hanson, Fairfield got two free throws from Meri Jackson and putbacks by Henninger and Brya Fauber to extend the lead out to 26-13. A three-pointer by Manchester’s Brown temporarily halted the Lady Lions but a basket by Rilee Quickle send the two teams to the intermission with the visitors holding a 28-16 advantage.
Over the first five minutes of the third quarter, the Lady Lions dominated the play and built up a lead of 42-17, their largest of the game. With 2:45 left in the third, a basket by Brown began a 10-0 Manchester run that closed out the third period and gave the Lady Hounds’ fans a glimmer of hope for a miracle comeback. Early in the final quarter, a Hanson three-pointer began a 6-0 Lady Hounds’ run that cut the deficit down to 45-33.
The Lady Hounds got a free throw from Maddie Easter and a bucket from Rideout to keep the gap at 12, but just as quickly the Lady Lions ran off six straight to go back up 54-36 with two minutes to play. The final points of the game came from Rideout and Hope Scott, as the Lady Lions chalked up the 56-41 conference win.
The winners were paced by two players in double figures, led by Rylee Quickle’s 14 points with Meri Jackson adding 11.
Even in the loss, the Lady Hounds put three players in double figures- Hayden Rideout with 15, Lyrric Hanson with 10 and Mahayla Brown with 10. Rideout pulled off a double-double by pulling down 13 rebounds.
At 0-4 after the Fairfield, the Lady Hounds picked up their first win of the season two days later on their home court as they knocked off Eastern Pike 49-44.
Two games faced the now 1-4 Manchester squad this week, beginning with a SHAC home game on Monday with North Adams, then a non-conference trip to New Boston on Thursday night.
Fairfield
13 15 14 14 —56
Manchester
8 8 11 14 —41
Fairfield (56): Jackson 12, Hale 6, Cannon 8, V. Henninger 5, Drury 4, Fauber 4, Quickle 14, Hodson 3
Manchester (41): Rideout 15, Easter 3, Hanson 12, Brown 10, H. Scott 1
Three-Point Goals:
Fairfield (3)- V. Henninger 1, Quickle 3
Manchester (3)- Hanson 2, Brown 1
