Manual’s girls basketball team defeated Ballard High School 51-33 last night earning them a spot in the Region 7 Tournament finals. Leasia Wright (11) and Kara Wright (11) put the team on their back after Junior guard April Wilson was limited in her playing time due to a dislocated knuckle suffered in practice earlier in the week, and Region 7 player of the year Mechael Guess was in foul trouble throughout most of the game. Leasia led Manual with 17 points and 10 rebounds on 7 of 16 shooting, and Kara Wright added 16 points and 3 steals. “With them out, we just all had to step up and play harder,” Leasia Wright said. “We had to do our parts.”

The Lady Bruins shot just 25% from the floor on 10 of 40 shots and had 20 turnovers.  The Bruins pulled within 25-13 but any hopes of a comeback were crushed when the Lady Crimsons ended the first half with an 11-2 run to head into halftime with a 36-15 lead.

The Crimson will play Mercy Academy in the finals, this will be the fourth time the two teams have met this season. Manual leads the season series 3-1 but lost to Mercy in last year’s Region 7 final. The game will be held at Bellarmine at 5 P.M. on saturday March 5th.