On Monday night, the girls’ varsity basketball team faced the Seneca High School Redhawks in the Seventh Region girls’ quarterfinals. Aggressive defense and three-point shooting propelled the Lady Crimsons to victory, defeating the Redhawks by a score of 62-17.
First Half:
The Redhawks won the tip, but the Lady Crimsons came out of the gate with strong defense, creating a tie-up and gaining possession of the ball without letting Seneca score. Manual maintained this aggressive defense with a steal and a batted pass in the first minute of the game. The first points came from Alicia Mangrum (#13, 9), who hit a three pointer.
Seneca turned the ball over multiple times in the first few minutes, but scoring was slow for the Lady Crimsons. When Seneca called their first timeout around five minutes into the game, Manual was up 7-0.
“I think today we played with a lot more confidence, we played as a team, and instead of backing out, knowing that they were not a good team, we just played hard, and we’re preparing for who we’ve got next,” Mangrum said.
With three minutes left in the first half, the Redhawks scored their first points on a fast break layup, shortly followed by another two-point shot. However, the Lady Crimsons kept their foot on the gas, with a floater from Brooklyn Davis (#24, 11) and a layup by Kendall Hemmerle (#12, 11) assisted by Electra Lovely-Tolbert (#4, 12).
Both teams’ offensive momentum slowed down toward the end of the half, but Manual’s lead was steadily growing. A three-pointer by Ahmari Brice (#0, 9), as well as layups by Lovely-Tolbert and Mangrum, closed out the half. The Lady Crimsons headed into halftime with a 40-13 lead.
Second Half:
The Crimsons remained consistent on both offense and defense throughout the second half. Hemmerle hit a three-pointer on the first possession, and Mangrum was quick to follow with her own three. Seneca was fouled multiple times, but went 0-3 on free throws in the quarter.
Manual maintained good ball movement, creating layups for Cameron Brooks (#14, 9) and Davis. At the end of the third quarter, they led 59-17.
While Manual’s starters were out of the game for the majority of the fourth quarter, the team was able to maintain a comfortable lead. The Redhawks struggled to make a shot, and Celeste Hector (#32, 12) kept the Lady Crimons’ offense moving with a layup. They were able to maintain their defensive pressure, creating many turnovers and preventing Seneca from mounting any kind of comeback.
Jermiya Bracken (#11, 9) was fouled on the shot and went 1-2 at the free throw line in the final seconds. When the clock struck zero, the Lady Crimsons had handily defeated the Redhawks, winning in dominant fashion with a final score of 62-17.
Manual has now moved onto the regional semi-finals, which will take place on March 6 at Valley High School. They will take on the Ballard Bruins, who defeated Male in their quarterfinals matchup.
“I think we should just play how we played today, but ten times harder, and bring the championship home,” Mangrum said.
