By Anthony Gorges
Girls recap
Junction City won the opening tip, and Maiyaunss Harley scored a layup to put JC ahead 2-0 on the first possession of the game, and that was the only lead the Lady Jays would have. Manhattan junior Delaney Larson hit back-to-back three-pointers to propel Manhattan to a 68-point victory on Tuesday night. The Indians beat the Lady Jays 93-25. It was a continuously running clock the entire second half.
Sophomore Jelena Depusoir led Manhattan in scoring with 19 points, and Maiyaunss Harley scored nine points for Junction City.
With the win, the Manhattan High Indians improve to 5-2 on the season, and the Junction City Lady Jays fall to 1-4 with the loss.
Boys recap
The boys' matchup between the Blue Jays and Indians always comes down to the wire, and Tuesday night was no different. A back-and-forth overtime thriller saw Junction City edge out a 66-62 victory over the Indians.
Manhattan led 14-10 after a fast-paced first quarter, and then halftime was an even tie all knotted up at 30.
The second half continued to be a dogfight, with both teams taking small leads but not holding on for long. Junction City led 45-40 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter featured a seven-point Blue Jay lead slip away, and Manhattan took a 51-50 lead with less than thirty seconds to go after Manhattan senior Landon Knopp banked in a shot from the left side of the lane. Junction City's Lovell Autry was fouled on his drive to the basket and made one of two free throws to tie the game at 51. The Indians had a shot to win at the buzzer, but the shot didn't fall, and the game went into overtime.
Junction City won the overtime tip, and Blue Jay senior Isaiah Handy made two three-pointers to give Junction City the early lead, and the Blue Jays hung on to win a tough one 66-62 in overtime. It was the first win for Junction City in Manhattan since 2019.
With the win, the Blue Jays go to 6-0 on the season, and the Indians of Manhattan fall to 2-4.