MANCHESTER, NH – It was the first time in recent memory the Manchester Central girls basketball team hosted a playoff game, and the first ever home playoff matchup for the Manchester Central/West co-op team.
That, alone, was worth celebrating, said longtime Central head coach Michale Wenners.
So despite a difficult 39-24 upset loss to No. 10 Salem in the first round of the Division-I tournament Monday, Wenners said his team has a lot to be proud of this season.
“Obviously, you want to win, but I’m not going to look past the great season we had,” he said. “Our seniors did an amazing job. To come in as freshman and be 0-18 and to finish 12-6, 12-7 now, that’s on them for working really hard. They set the example for the younger kids, and hopefully the underclassmen follow suite.”
As far as the contest that knocked Central/West out of the playoffs, Wenners said it was as simple as the ball not finding its way through the net.
“Bottom line, when you can’t score, that’s what happens,” he said. “We missed a lot of opportunities. You know, maybe if we stung together a couple baskets and got a little momentum going, but we just couldn’t get that.”
“(The Blue Devils) play physical, we play physical, so I expected it to be a little low scoring,” he added. “I just figured we’d get more than 24.”
While Wenners and his underclassmen look forward to building off this year’s successes, Salem and first-year head coach Jessica Robinson advance to the state quarterfinals where they’ll face second-ranked Bedford (16-2), the tournament co-favorite (along with top-seed Concord Christian) Thursday at 6 p.m.
See a photo you like? Browse these and more for viewing and/or purchase from Stacy Harrison Photography