The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Bench lifts Dutchmen to fourth straight win
Schaible, Kleinschmidt spark Dutch to 50-44 victory over Jayhawks
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 15, 2007
The Manchester varsity boys' basketball team continues to find new ways to win.
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Randy Kleinschmidt provided a spark off the bench Friday and lifted the Flying Dutchmen to a 50-44 victory over the Vandercook Lake Jayhawks.
By winning its fourth straight game and sixth in its last seven, Manchester (6-9, 5-5 Cascades) moved to within a game of third place in the league. With the loss, Vandercook Lake (8-7, 6-4 Cascades) fell out of a second-place tie with East Jackson.
After both teams traded runs early on, the Dutchmen took the lead for good with a 14-3 run to close the first half. Kleinschmidt kicked off the surge with five straight points, giving Manchester the lead for good.
The Jayhawks trimmed an 11-point deficit down to four midway through the fourth quarter, but Zach Benedict and Greg Schaible combined to hit seven free throws down the stretch.
"Randy played with a lot of hustle and did well defensively," Manchester coach Bryan Barnard said. "Our bench gave us a huge pick up, especially in the second quarter. We had contributions from everyone and the whole effort was solid."
The Dutchmen opened the game with a 12-4 run. Schaible scored seven points, including a three-pointer, and Kleinschmidt capped the run with a traditional three-point play.
Vandercook fought back to within four, but Jake LaCross scored a pair of inside baskets in the opening minute of the second quarter, giving Manchester a 16-11 lead.
Vandercook Lake answered with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes. After Dan Pardew canned a three-pointer, Chaz Suomala gave the Jayhawks their first lead of the night with a pair of free throws. Benedict regained the lead for the Dutchmen, but Suomala hit another pair at the line, giving Vandercook a 20-18 lead midway through the quarter.
That's when Kleinschmidt took over. The sophomore turned the deficit into a three-point lead with two free throws and a traditional three-point play. Schaible followed with a missile, making it 26-20. In the final minute of the half, Schaible buried another triple, giving the Dutchmen a 32-23 lead at the break.
"The guys were really confident being up nine at halftime," Barnard said. "We knew we played a good first half and we continued to execute in the second."
Nick Ball gave the Dutchmen more breathing room in the third quarter with a pair of three-pointers. His second missile midway through the frame gave Manchester its biggest lead of the night at 38-27.
The Jayhawks didn't go quietly, answering with eight straight points. Michael Schneider scored a layup off a steal with a minute left in the third, then Matt Negus scored on a drive two minutes into the fourth quarter, pulling Vandercook to within 38-34.
LaCross and Schaible restored the Dutchmen's lead to eight with two quick baskets, but Suomala's jumper with 3:31 remaining brought the Jayhawks to within four. Six seconds later, Benedict halted Vandercook's momentum with a pair of free throws, making it 44-38.
Manchester's defense locked down the Jayhawks the rest of the way, while Benedict and Schaible capitalized on their trips to the line and sealed the game.
Schaible finished with a game-high 17 points for the Dutchmen. Kleinschmidt finished with nine points, while LaCross had eight points and 11 rebounds. Benedict added seven points for Manchester.
"Greg stretches the defense with his perimeter shooting, and having that weapon opens up the lane," Barnard said. "Having an inside-outside option makes it tough for our opponents."
Suomala scored 10 points to lead the Jayhawks, while Pardew added eight points. Schneider, who's Vandercook's leading scorer, was held to five points thanks to strong defensive play by Kleinschmidt, Sam Brown and Kevin Fielder.
Axon and Negus each had five points for Vandercook Lake.
Tuesday's game at Napoleon took place after the newspaper's deadline.
The Dutchmen host Addison 7 p.m. Thursday.
"We have to focus on what we're doing right now and take it one game at a time," Barnard said. "We're getting ready for Addison and not looking ahead."
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