The Manchester Squires traveled to South Adams for sectional play last week where they ran through Bluffton in the opening round before falling to eventual champion Blackhawk in the semifinals.
In the opening round of sectional play, Bluffton stayed close but a 15-1 run by Manchester blew the game open as the Squires cruised to a 92-54 win over the Tigers, Wednesday, March 1.
Bluffton started the game with a 4-0 lead before the Squires scored the next six points.
A Tiger basket midway through the first quarter cut the Manchester lead to 9-8 but the Squires scored 15 of the next 16 points to take a 24-9 lead and it was never close the rest of the way.
The high-scoring Squires hit 15 three-pointers on the night including five from Gavin Marin and three from Tyler McLain.
Gavin Betten led the Squires with 28 points, 17 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists, followed by McLain with 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds, and Martin with 15 points and three rebounds.
Four Squires scored six points on the night with Trevor Heath adding five rebounds, Ethan Hendrix contributing four assists and two rebounds, along with Wyatt Prater adding an assist and a rebound, and Reiss Gaerte recording one block.
Tallon Torpy scored five points along with four rebounds and three assists, followed by Kaleb Kline with three points, one rebound, and one assist, Carter Wagoner with two points, four rebounds, and one block, and Aaron Reid with one rebound and one assist.
Semifinals
Blackhawk Christian 75, Manchester 42
Class 2A No. 3 Blackhawk Christian showed why they belong near to top of the class after dominating Manchester in the semifinal round with a 75-42 win Friday, March 3.
The Squires stayed close with the Braves for the first 4 1/2 minutes.
After the Braves took a 4-0 lead, Betten and McLain hit back-to-back buckets to tie it at 4-4.
The teams traded baskets with Betten tying the game at 6-6 with 5:25 left in the first quarter.
Blackhawk took an 11-6 lead before McLain scored on an inside drive with 4:12 left in the quarter to cut it to 11-8.
McLain hit 1-2 free throws at the 3:29 mark to make it an 11-9 score but it all Braves after that.
Blackhawk went on a 12-0 run over a 3:10 span to take a 23-9 lead before Hendrix hit 1-2 free throws as the first-quarter buzzer sounded.
Blackhawk controlled the game the rest of the way to advance to the championship game where they defeated Adams Central for the title.
The Squires finish a strong season with an 18-6 record and placed second in the Three Rivers Conference.
Official stats were not available for the game at press time.

By Amanda Redman
aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

The 15th annual FAME Festival took place Saturday at the Honeywell Center, featuring a vibrant display of local art and performances.
“I’m amazed at the talents the kids have,” said Judy Ward, Wabash Festival director and founder.

By Amanda Redman

aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Hakuna matata, everyone knows it means “no worries for the rest of your days.”
The Swahili term made famous by Disney’s “Lion King” illustrates the adage that music is a universal language.
O.J. Neighbours Elementary School dual language immersion students are taking that idea on stage this month in a bilingual

By Amanda Redman
aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash City Schools will borrow against future taxes to meet cash flow needs for the first time in a decade while taking steps to reduce costs, the school board decided during a March 7 meeting.
The school board approved a resolution to take up to $880,000 in advance of the next two tax draws through a Tax