This past Friday, Feb. 21, Manual’s boys’ varsity basketball team took on the Male Bulldogs in the annual rivalry game and a close matchup that ultimately resulted in Crimson victory, 74-64.
First Half:
To start the game, Male received the tipoff, but their attempt to score was blocked by Justice Decker (#1, 12). Shortly after, Manual made the first basket off of a three-pointer. This was followed by a foul on the Bulldogs, who went to the free-throw line, making both.
Male took the lead, but a three-point shot from DeShawn McGee (#23, 11) put the Crimsons ahead. A few plays later, Noah Smith (#2, 12) also scored off of a three-pointer. The Bulldogs responded by dunking, which brought the score to a tie,11 11.
Mark Woods (#15, 11) and Decker both attempted shots, but were blocked by Male’s defense. The quarter ended 20 to 13, in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs started off with the ball. They attempted a shot, but were unsuccessful. Geoffrey Njogu (#4, 11) got the rebound after Male’s miss. He then passed the ball to Malachi Coleman (#3, 12), who ran down the court, but was unsuccessful in scoring. Not long after, the Bulldogs fouled the Crimsons.
Then, Manual fouled Male during back-to-back possessions. Njogu and Coleman both made attempts to score, but missed. The Crimsons fouled the Bulldogs again, and the Bulldogs went to the free-throw line. This brought the score to 21 to 13, in Male’s favor. A few plays later, Male made a three-point shot.
As a result of Male’s run, Manual called a full timeout. When play resumed, the Crimsons returned stronger. Coleman scored to start off, and Decker made a three-point shot soon after. The Bulldogs went to the free-throw line, but didn’t make either shot. Then, Smith scored another three-pointer.
Male retaliated with a three-point shot of their own. They made another basket soon after. The Bulldogs fouled Coleman, and he scored a three-pointer soon after. This brought the score to 29 to 28, with Male still leading.
The Bulldogs made another successful three-pointer, but Coleman made another basket. The score was now 32 to 31, with the Bulldogs still holding on to their lead. Male then called a timeout. Coleman scored yet again, putting the Crimsons in the lead for the first time during the game by two points. At the last second, Smith made a basket. This ended the quarter with a score of 37 to 34, in Manual’s favor.
Second Half:
When the third quarter started, the Crimsons came out of the locker room with much more momentum. Coleman was quick to score a three-pointer. He was fouled soon after, and went to the line for one shot. A few plays later, McGee scored a three-point. The Bulldogs scored once. Then, Ahmad Shelton (#11, 11) made a basket. A timeout was called by Male.
When play resumed, Male scored a three-pointer. Coleman returned to the free-throw line, scoring two points. The Bulldogs made repeated attempts to score, but were blocked by Decker. Decker was fouled, and made both free throws. A few plays later, he was fouled again, and scored two more points. The quarter ended with a score of 57 to 50, with the Crimsons in the lead.
The score was still relatively close when the final quarter began. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were soon fouled, and they went to the free-throw line. After this, neither team scored for a bit of time, and the players rushed back and forth across the court. Then, Shelton scored. Soon after, Smith made a three-pointer.
A few plays later, Manu was called for a technical foul. The Bulldogs went to the line, bringing the score to 64 to 56, with the Crimsons still holding onto their lead. Manual then called a full timeout.
Shortly after that, the Bulldogs ran into Manual’s bench. Smith was fouled, and he scored a point off of the free throw. Manual called a thirty second timeout afterwards. Following this, the Crimsons were fouled again. Male then called a full timeout, themselves. Coleman was fouled and went to the free-throw line afterwards.
The score was now 72 to 63. With only a few seconds remaining, the Bulldogs were fouled. They scored once, but it wasn’t enough and the game ended with a score of 74 to 64, a Crimson victory.
