The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Pressure defense too much for Dutchmen
After close first half, Napoleon surges to win at Manchester
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2008
The Manchester freshmen boys' basketball team hung tough for one half, but the Napoleon Pirates pulled away in the second half for a 46-28 victory over the Flying Dutchmen in a Cascades Conference game Jan. 31.
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Despite trailing for much of the first half, Manchester (2-8) kept the game within striking distance by matching scores and runs with the Pirates. The Dutchmen only trailed by six points three minutes into the third quarter when Napoleon grabbed the momentum for good.
Switching to a full-court press defense, the Pirates forced Manchester into turnover trouble and fouls. Within two minutes, Napoleon had built a double-digit lead and never looked back.
"We were able to hang around with them for a while," Manchester coach Brad Gerbe said. "But we didn't handle their press well and started turning the ball over."
The Pirates held a 39-33 advantage in rebounding for the game.
Scott Wharam led the way for Manchester with 10 points, four assists and six steals. Lukas Weber had five points and six rebounds, while Alex Mutchler added four points and seven rebounds. Ryan Fookes also scored four points and Jack Begley had two points. Nik Stetler added one point for the Flying Dutchmen.
"I'm getting a lot of effort from my boys, but we need to get it from all five guys on the floor at the same time," Gerbe said. "We're looking to improve our defensive intensity, boxing out and finding our man. Our biggest goal is putting it all together."
Manchester traveled to Vandercook Lake for a Cascades Conference game Tuesday after the newspaper's deadline. The Dutchmen return to action today when they visit Onsted for a non-conference game.
"We're in a tough stretch of our schedule and we're running into very talented teams," Gerbe said.
Dutchmen at Sand Creek
A first-half hole proved too deep for the Manchester freshmen boys' basketball team in a 53-33 loss to the Sand Creek Aggies in a non-conference game Jan. 29.
Using its size to its advantage, Sand Creek got behind the Dutchmen's defense and crashed the boards repeatedly to take control of the game. By halftime, the Aggies had built a commanding 34-14 lead.
"Our intensity on defense took a step back, and hopefully we've learned from that," Manchester coach Brad Gerbe said. "We need to do a better job in boxing out for rebounds, but (Sand Creek) has a couple of guys that can just jump over us."
For the game, the Aggies held a 44-21 advantage in rebounding over Manchester.
The Flying Dutchmen were able to make some defensive adjustments in the second half and played even with Sand Creek, but they were unable to cut into the deficit.
Scott Wharam finished with nine points and four rebounds to lead Manchester, while Ryan Little also scored nine points. Alex Mutchler added six points and seven rebounds and Nik Stetler had four points. Alex Wallace scored three points, while Ryan Fookes had two points and five rebounds for the Dutchmen.
"The boys made some nice adjustments and did a good job in the second half," Gerbe said.
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.
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