BLUFFTON, Ohio - Manchester men's basketball brought home their fourth consecutive win as the Spartans took down Bluffton 85-80 on Wednesday, January 31.
The Beavers took a 7-2 lead in the opening minutes of Wednesday night's contest. The Spartans went on a 10-5 run to tie the score at 12 apiece with 12:26 on the clock. After a back-and-forth battle, Bluffton held a narrow 19-16 advantage midway through the first half. With the score tied 28-28 with just over four minutes to play in the opening period, the Spartans put together a 10-2 run to take an eight-point lead. The Black and Gold would go into halftime up 38-33.
In the second half of action, Manchester extended their lead to 17 with 11:33 on the clock. The Beavers would bring the game within three points with just under a minute left to play in Wednesday night's game. Zach Sawyer (Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Watterson) and Bryant Smith (West Lafayette, Ind., Harrison) would drain free throws to put the Spartans up by seven with 14 seconds left on the clock. Manchester would hang on to bring home the 85-80 victory.
As a team, Manchester shot 49.2% (30-61) from the field and 40.9% (9-22) from three-point range on Wednesday night. The Spartans came away with seven steals and 35 rebounds.
Sawyer collected his 11th double-double of the season on Wednesday night. The senior guard led the Black and Gold with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Smith followed with 28 points, shooting 4-9 from beyond the arc. He also had a team-high four steals. Logan Willoughby (Greenwood, Ind., Whiteland Community) and Mitch Mendenhall (New Haven, Ind., Woodlan) contributed eight points apiece, while Blake Shewmaker (Bargersville, Greenwood Christian Academy) added six points and Coy Hampton (Park Forest, Ill., Crete Monee) had two blocks.
Four Beavers scored in double-digits, including Nevin Robson with 24 points. Michael Stammen and Ian Snelling had 14 points each, while Myles Thomas contributed 12 points.
Manchester improved to 13-7 overall and 10-3 in HCAC play, while Bluffton dropped to 7-13 and 3-10 in league games. Up next, the Spartans will be back in action at Hanover on Saturday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m.
