ROMM PHOTOGRAPHY
Manchester's state-ranked girls basketball team improved to 18-0 on Monday night with a 64-40 win over visiting Kenmore. Manchester senior Michelle Noble and Kenmore's Julia Robinson battle for a 50-50 ball.
NEW FRANKLIN, Ohio – Text messages were coming fast and furious.
Seniors from last year’s Manchester’s girls basketball team were exhorting this year’s team to: Finish the job. Beat Kenmore.
One year ago, a six-point loss at Kenmore in Game 19 cost Manchester a Division III state poll title.
And on Monday night, the scenario was similar. The Panthers again were undefeated, ranked second in the state, this year in Division II, and a perfect regular season and a state poll championship are possible.
This time, playing at home, Manchester (18-0) handled its business and knocked off the Cardinals, 64-40, in front of a near capacity crowd.
“Our seniors from last year, Brooke Tabaka and Morgan VanScoy, they gave us a pep talk about how bad it felt when we lost,” Manchester sophomore guard Kayci Krzynowek said. “I think that all pumped us up to win tonight.”
It was Tabaka who scored 27 points in last year’s 66-60 loss at Kenmore.
“(Last year's seniors) wanted us to win this game more than anybody,” Manchester coach Tucker Pappas said. “(Kenmore) ruined everything that these kids wanted to do. It was a rough experience for us all to handle. We didn’t handle it well. I’ll be the first one to tell you.
“That definitely was on all of our minds. We talked about it before the game. We talked about it all week. Remember what it felt like. Remember what it did to you.”
Pappas said last year’s Kenmore loss had a compounding effect when the Panthers finished 22-2 with a district championship loss to Orrville.
“Remember where we went from there because we never got any better from there on out. It was a huge impact the whole way through,” he said.
With top-ranked Dayton Carroll losing on Saturday, the door is open for the Panthers to claim a 2012 state poll championship.
There were some nerves at the start of Monday’s game. The first quarter produced a combined 20 turnovers and 19 points for both teams.
Kenmore (13-5) coughed it up 13 times in the first eight minutes and finished with 28 giveaways.
Leading 10-9, the Panthers settled down and opened the second quarter on a 14-2 run and controlled the game the rest of the way. Manchester’s pace took its toll on the Cardinals.
“I’m shocked that they did (get tired),” Kenmore coach Yontami Jones said. “I guess we’ve got some running to do.
“It does wear on you and we’re used to being the ones doing that, pressuring and going, pressuring and going. I don’t know what happened to them today.”
Invaluable Manchester senior Michelle Noble was her usual self, collecting 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Panther senior Angela Durgala hit two big 3-point goals in that slow first quarter and finished with 14 points and seven steals.
Alexis Lee paced Kenmore with 21 points. Junior Porshae Hearn, the Cardinals' top scorer, was face guarded most of the game and had six points.
A contributing factor to Kenmore’s sloppy play was the absence of senior Charnae Coleman, the team’s second-leading scorer and “our fastest player,” according to Jones.
“She was being selfish and she got in some trouble, so she’s suspended for a game or two or three,” Jones said.
Jones said they would learn Tuesday whether Coleman will be available for Thursday’s City Series playoff championship game against Firestone at North High School.