By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Considering the start, you would think Friday's Centennial League boys game at Hayden was going to be all Manhattan.
The Indians would go on a 11-0 run to start the game before the Wildcats finally got on the board with 3:55 left in the first quarter Hayden would get on the board and Manhattan went up 25-8 in the second quarter.
Hayden sophomore Carter Compton scored 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers in Friday's 45-42 loss to Manhattan. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden junior Connor Hanika scored 14 points in Friday's 45-42 home Centennial League loss to Manhattan. [File photo/TSN]
But the Wildcats kept fighting and gave itself a chance down the stretch before dropping a 45-42 decision to the Indians at the Bueltel Activity Center.
“Unfortunately, too often we start games too passive,'' Hayden coach Dwayne Anthony said. "I’m not surprised when they bunker down and start executing and then we make it a game per se. I was disappointed tonight with how long it took to do that and with all the talk that we’ve had that, we need to start games with that same intensity.”
The Wildcats used an 8-0 run to cut its halftime deficit to 25-16 and would come out of halftime scratching and clawing and would end the third quarter still down by 9 (35-26) before sophomore Carter Compton, whose family just moved to Topeka, would score 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Wildcats grab their first lead of the game with only 5:13 left.
But Manhattan would get a 3-pointer and then two free throws in the final 2 minutes to escape the hard-fought game with the 3-point win.
“It’s just all about finding my spots and letting my teammates hit me, trusting my teammates and letting them find me whether it’s in the corner or they're setting me screens for me to get the ball,” Compton said of his late-game performance.
“He’s a sophomore too, so thankful for him because he definitely has a lot of heart,'' Anthony said of Compton. "He has some things like every sophomore that he is learning, but he is a quick learner. He comes in and does what he needs to do, and this isn’t his first time he’s kind of saved us with his shooting. Just really glad that he has the confidence to come in and perform under the lights in them big moments and just anxious to see how he grows and develops as a basketball player.”
Compton on his transition to Hayden: “Hayden has welcomed me amazingly. Its a for sure family in this community, everywhere I go whether its classes or practice someone is always there to support me.”
Hayden got another big night from junior Connor Hanika, who scored 14.
“You know, we didn’t give up,'' Hanika said. "We came in at halftime and talked about what we needed to do. And after that they couldn’t break our press, so then my teammates started to find me and I was posting up there and getting me the ball, making good passes, down low.”
“He’s a very talented athlete and I’m glad that he’s finally kind of settling into some things,'' Anthony said of Hanika. "I think he has a lot of potential, and the more that he listens and continues to buy into some of the things we’re doing, he’s going to have more games like this and better.”
Manhattan was led in scoring by junior Noah McFadden with 11 points and got 10 points from Sam Spiegel and Sawyer Newton.
The Wildcats will be in action next week in the Baldwin Tournament.
MANHATTAN 45, HAYDEN BOYS 42
Manhattan 17 8 10 10 -- 45
Hayden 6 10 10 16 -- 42
Manhattan (3-5 1-1) — McFadden 3-9 4-8 11, Spiegel 2-4 5-6 10, Newton 5-6 0-2 10, Doering 2-4 0-2 5, Carpenter 1-2 2-2 5, Knopp 1-9 2-2 4, Washington 0-1 0-0 0, Goodpasture 0-0 0-2 0, Newton 0-2 0-0 0, Witt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-37 13-24 45.
Hayden (4-5 1-2) — Hanika 3-5 8-10 14, Compton 4-12 4-6 14, Zweisler 3-5 0-0 6, Kuta 2-5 0-2 4, Heinen 2-5 0-1 4, Mitchell 0-1 0-2 0, Deister 0-5 0-0 0, Kidd 0-2 0-0 0, Banks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-40 12-21 42.
3-point goals — Manhattan 4 (McFadden, Doering, Spiegel, Carpenter.) Hayden 2 (Compton 2). Totals Fouls — Manhattan 18, Hayden 18.
