Manchester seniors Gavin Betten and Ethan Hendrix combined to score 42 of the Squires’ 59 points in Saturday’s Class 2A State Championship victory over University.
When the Squires (26-2) needed an immediate answer, their dynamic duo delivered in crunch-time to defeat the Trailblazers 59-54 and secure the first boys basketball state title in school history. The pendulum between dueling program’s making their first state finals appearance swung back and forth as University gained an early advantage. Manchester responded with a pair of 3s made by Aaron Reid and Hendrix to take an 8-5 lead.
University junior Blake Gray connected on a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the first-quarter points to give the Trailblazers an 11-10 lead. Neither team could gain an edge until midway through the second quarter, when University retook a 15-14 lead after senior Zien Bland buried a 3-pointer. Despite only three Trailblazers making a basket in the first half, Gray kept University afloat with 11 first-half points. Gray opened the second half with his fourth made shot from beyond the arc and led the Trailblazers with 20 points. With the score even at 21-21 heading into halftime, the first half became just a snippet of an intense affair that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes.
Betten and Hendrix were relentless in pursuit to attack the basket and get to their most efficient spots on the court. Hendrix took advantage of open opportunities presented to him during the championship game as the pair matched University with 11 made field goals in the second half. Both Grace commits played all 32 minutes inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse to lead the Squires to the pinnacle of Indiana high school basketball.
Manchester caught rhythm in the second half and connected on 15-of-20 shot attempts. The Squires closed the final frame on a 9-0 scoring run to seal its first state title. Betten dominated the left block with an unstoppable left-handed finish, making 9-of-16 shots from the floor. Manchester’s 6-foot-7, forward grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists in Saturday’s triumph.
“It is a game of runs,” Betten said. “It always is a game of runs and it showed tonight that they took the lead, sometimes we took the lead and at the end we just kept our composure. We kept fighting and we ended up going on a 9-0 run, late to end the game and that’s what sealed it.”
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Betten led Indiana with 23 double-doubles and caps off his career listed among the top 50 scorers in IHSAA boys basketball history. The four-year starter at Manchester averaged 25.4 points, 12 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 28 games as a senior.
It was the first time in 30 years Manchester advanced past the sectional round, but fifth-year coach Eli Henson ultimately became the first Wabash County boys basketball coach to claim an IHSAA state title. A squad of seven seniors created a memory of a lifetime, including the Squires’ four-highest scorers who are set to graduate in 2025.