Playing team basketball, the Manheim Central boys' basketball team upset Conrad Weiser, 50-45, March 2 in the first round of the District Three Class 5A tournament.

The Barons, winners of seven straight games, started off slow, trailing 14-3 after the first quarter. Their only bucket in the first came on a Trey Grube 3-pointer early in the quarter.

"Slow was an understatement," Barons' coach Charlie Fisher said. "We were getting good shots. They were just missing. In the last minute of the quarter, we missed three layups. It was to be expected. Look at district games and there are a lot of low scores. I told the guys we are getting all the looks we want. We just needed to calm down."

Once the Barons, seeded 10th, calmed down in second quarter, they started to score and this allowed them is press on defense. Manheim trailed 19-18 at halftime. In the third, Logan Shull hit a big 3-pointer and Grube, who led the Barons with 19 points, including four 3-pointers, nailed a trey to give the Barons the lead. Collin Thompson also hit a big 3-pointer, as Manheim went on a 15-4 run. In all, the Barons had six 3-pointers in the game. MC led 36-30 after three quarters.

With the lead, the Barons held the ball and made Conrad Weiser come out of its zone defense. Once the seventh seed Scouts went to man-to-man defense, the Barons' lead expanded to 11 quickly.

"Judd Novak had some huge takes to extend the lead," Fisher said. "Wyatt (Becker) muscled a key block. We missed some foul shots, but we took care of it on the other end with strong defense. We played fast when we needed to. I am very pleased with how we played."

Manheim outscored the Scouts 16-6 in second quarter and 17-10 in third. Cam Eberly added 10 points. Fisher was pleased with the how the squad responded to early adversity.

"From a team aspect, nobody moped or got down on each other," he said. "They made the extra pass and played team defense. Everything we did, every adjustment, the guys responded."

The Barons tuned up for the playoffs by hosting Columbia Feb. 26 in a wild back-and-forth shootout that Manheim pulled out 77-75.

"Seventy-seven points, that doesn't happen too often at Manheim in basketball," Fisher said. "That was fun to watch."

MC went on a 12-2 run to start the third quarter. Grube's driving bucket and free throw gave the Barons an 18-point lead, 48-29, with 4:16 to go in the third. Grube, who finished with a team-high 25 points, scored 10 in the quarter. He also had an assist on a pass inside to Becker, who posted 13 points. The Barons had five players notch double figures in scoring, including Judd Novak (10 points), Eberly (11) and Matt Siegrist (14).

Columbia's Kerry Glover, who had a game-high 27 points (including 14 in the fourth quarter) got hot. He hit two 3-pointers in the third and another trey early in the fourth to help the Crimson Tide go on a 17-6 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to mount a comeback. Columbia cut the Baron's lead to 61-60 with 3:23 to play, but would get no closer.

Grube, who had seven points in the fourth, converted five free throws. The Barons had six missed free throws late in the game, but spread the ball and found open teammates to gain the win.

Columbia (14-4) nailed a trey at the buzzer to make the final margin two points. After the game, Fisher high-fived one of his assistant coaches and pumped his fist, excited to come out on the winning side of an exciting, face-paced game against a Crimson Tide team that won Section Five in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. This was the kind of game that gets a team ready for the playoffs.

"That's a team where you are never out of it, but you're never looked to be in it, either," Fisher said. "We got everything we wanted out of that. We played a great team, and it was a back-and-forth game. And everything we needed, as far as guys stepping up. All seven that played, at some point, made a big play. It was great."

Fisher said this was Novak's best game at point guard, against a team that puts a lot of pressure on guards.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

The Manheim Central girls' basketball team lost 66-49 at Gettysburg March 3 in its District Three Class 5 A first round.

Gettysburg, the defending district champion, led 35-20 at halftime. The 12th seed Barons cut the lead to 48-40 after three quarters, but Gettysburg, seeded fifth, got hot in the fourth, outscoring Manheim 18-9 to pull away for the win.

"It was a great effort tonight against a very good team playing on their home floor," Barons' coach Tyson Hayes said. "It was a great experience for us as we continue to learn and grow to becoming the team we believe we're capable of becoming. I thought we closed out really well. Gettysburg just hit big time shots and made their runs when they needed to."

Maddie Knier, a sophomore averaging 22 point this season, had eight of her team-high 23 points in the first quarter. The Warriors led 16-14 after one quarter. Summer Bates took over in the second quarter, netting eight of her 14 points. She connected on four 3-pointers in the game. Abbie Reed added five points.

The Barons, who finished with an 11-7 record, made districts for the second straight year.

"We grew a lot this season physically and mentally," Hayes said. "Now the work begins. What we do between now and next November will determine how good we will become. We're excited for this off-season and getting back into the lab."

The Lady Barons got a tune-up for the playoffs with a 60-23 victory over Donegal on Feb. 27. Knier had as many points as the Indians, finishing with 23. Sophomore guard Kaylie Kroll added 16 points and Bates netted six. MC led 23-12 at intermission and blew the game open in the third, outscoring the Indians 25-6.

"We settled in on defense and turned turnovers into points," Hayes said. "We had great balance in our scoring and when we do that, we'll be tough to beat."