The Crimson basketball teams faced off in a double header against St. Francis last night for Senior Night. The boys blew the competition away 87-49, and the girls 94-19.
Boys’ Basketball
The Crimsons started the game with the five seniors on the court, Noah Hawkins (#32, 12), Lukas Carns (#23, 12), Kenyan Jacobs (#3, 12), Jordan McClendon (#21, 12) and Jonah Gellhaus (#10, 12) to kick off their special night.
Now introducing the senior staring lineup! pic.twitter.com/Al637eI0bv
— Manual RedEye Sports (@manualREsports) February 6, 2018
“It was definitely bittersweet.” Jimmy Just, head coach for the Crimsons said. “They’re playing really well right now, and I’m going to hate to not have them back next year.”
Manual went into the game showing no mercy, with multiple field goals from Hawkins and McClendon, and three-point shots from Carns, the Crimsons looked unstoppable.
In the middle of the first quarter, Hawkins earned his one thousandth point for the Crimsons basketball program.
“Reaching 1,000 points is a milestone that a lot of players don’t get to experience, and getting there on senior night made it all even more special,” Hawkins said. “It was a really great sentiment, with this being my last year of playing basketball.”
At the end of the first quarter, the Crimsons led 26-10.
Eli Roberts (#24, 10) opened the score for the Crimsons with an early slam dunk to create a spark for the boys. The boys continued this lead throughout the whole game, playing very offensively and getting back quickly on defense.
Manual went on a 14-0 point run until St. Francis finally put a few in the net near the end of the second quarter. At halftime Manual led St. Francis 57-18.
Entering the second half, the game would run continuously on the clock, only stopping for timeouts and free throws.
The Crimsons continued to remain focused and keep their offensive drive into the rest of the game. The boys struggled on defensive in the second half, letting St. Francis have a glimmer hope of catching up with the Crimsons.
St. Francis outscored the Crimsons 17-11 in the third quarter; this was the biggest point break Francis had throughout the whole game. At the end of the third quarter, the Crimsons still led with a score of 68-35.
Carns opened the score for the Crimsons in the final quarter of the game with a three point shot. The Crimsons continued to play offensively, but still lacked on defense in the final quarter of the game.
“I feel like we came out with energy early [in the game],” Carns said. “I think second half we have to finish and be more sound on defense.”
Manual came out on top at the end with a score of 87-49.
Senior Night
In between basketball games, the Cheer, Dazzlers, Wrestling and Basketball seniors earned recognition for their hard work and commitment to Manual Athletics.
“Tonight was very bittersweet. I will miss dancing with my teammates and I will miss cheering on our school.” Hallie Viers (12, YPAS) said. “I’m so thankful for Dazzlers for helping me meet some of my best friends, and thankful for all the experiences Manual has given me!”
Girls’ Basketball
The Lady Crimsons basketball team started the game with their four seniors, Jaela Johnson (#3, 12), Tyonne Howard (#12, 12), Aniah Griffin (#21, 12) and Andie Mooradian (#42, 12).
St. Francis won the tip off for tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/8ykNbHZWy3
— Manual RedEye Sports (@manualREsports) February 7, 2018
The team played strong, made continuous shots and kept possession of the ball early in the game. Playing very offensively, the team earned 37 points in the first quarter of playing time.
Going into the second quarter the team steadily kept their spark going by staying strong on both offense and defense and keeping in control of the ball.
“I thought we played really well,” head coach Jeffrey Sparks said. “I’m very proud of them, I think we played hard, I think we played together and we sent our seniors out on a positive note.”
The seniors showed great leadership at the game by leading the team in points and keeping the energy on the court up.
“It was a mix of emotions,” Johnson said. “It’s not our last game on the floor, but I’ve enjoyed my years here, and it’s sad to say that its over.”
At halftime the Lady Crimsons led 67–14. Like the boys’ game, after the first half, the game ran on a continuous clock, only with the exceptions of timeouts and free throws. The Crimsons took advantage of the running clock by holding possession of the ball, making smart passes and waiting to shoot.
Defensive play was key for the Lady Crimsons, as they did not let St. Francis score throughout the whole third quarter. Going into the final stretch of the game, Manual was up 73-14.
Things didn’t change in the fourth quarter, the team remained focused to pull out a win for the Crimsons.
“I think we played with integrity and strength,” Adelaide Lenihan (#23, 10) for St. Francis said. “I think it was a pretty good game and I’m proud of how we played.”
As players made their way off the court, the final score of the game was 94-19.
The boys’ next game will be at St. X Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and the girls’ next game will be at Ballard next Tuesday.
