On Friday night, Jan. 23, Manual’s varsity boys’ basketball team crushed the Francis Parker Wyverns 92-35. The Crimsons controlled the game from the beginning to end for a thrilling homecoming game.
Before the game began, the winners of the homecoming court were announced. Samuel Calhoun (11, VA) and Molly Barrett (11, HSU) won prince and princess, and Geoffrey Njogu (#4, 12) and Sarudzai Charasika (12, HSU) won king and queen.
First half:
The Crimson’s got the tip off and attempted to score but were intercepted by the Wyverns. The strong defense of the Crimsons made it difficult for them to score, but Francis Parker eventually got through to score the first points of the game, 2-0.
Immediately after, Njogu took the lead with a three-point shot. The Wyverns were given a free throw and made both, but Ahmad Shelton (#11, 12) hit three back-to-back layups, bringing the score to 12-4 in the Crimsons favor.
The first timeout was called not even halfway through the first quarter, which helped both teams. The defense for both were taken up a notch, leading to a short drought in points, until Deshawn McGee (#23, 12) threw down an impressive dunk, hyping up the large crowd.
The ball remained on Francis Parker’s side, and while the Crimson’s defense was good, the Wyverns snuck in multiple shots. The Crimsons responded quickly, resulting in the first quarter ending with a score of 22-10.
The second quarter began with Aubrey Jones Williams (#2, 9) stealing the ball and dribbling down the court to a layup. Following this, the Wyverns called for a timeout. This, however, helped the Crimsons and their teamwork improved even more. Dawson Speaks (#21, 9) assisted Anthony Wheat (#20, 9) in a layup.
Soon after, Wheat was fouled on but still managed to make the shot. He received a free throw, which he scored. Both teams continued gaining points, but the Crimsons were firmly in the lead, 35-12. Levi Persley (#34, 9) shot a clutch three-pointer. Shelton continued to widen the score gap with layups and another three point shot. Njogu had an insane buzzer beater layup, after pushing past a firm Wyverns defense. Manual led the game 51-12 at the end of the first half.
Second half:
The Crimsons took control at the start of the half and kept that momentum to the end. Both teams scored points at the beginning of the third quarter, but the Crimsons kept gaining, leaving the Wyverns behind.
Shelton and Williams made multiple layups, making the score 67-19. Another long drought in points took place in which Francis Parker’s harsh defense made a wall that the Crimsons couldn’t breach. Williams was given free throws, after being fouled, both of which he made to finish out the quarter 69-22.
The final quarter was marked with just as many fouls on Manual from the Wyverns. This resulted in the Crimsons receiving multiple free throws. Francis Parker continued to show strong defense, but they couldn’t hold back the Crimsons who continued to dominate. Wheat threw down the second dunk of the game, hyping up the crowd even more. Speaks, Wheat and Rhett Stearman (#3, 10) got back-to-back layups to close off the game. The final score was 92-35.
“The best part of the game was getting my brothers in that don’t normally get the opportunity to play. It was nice to play alongside them,” Shelton said.
The Crimson’s next match up will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 27 when they take on the Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL) in an away game.
