By Michael Wojtychiw
Manley, with only 70 kids enrolled in the school, has become a force to reckon with when it comes to the sport of boys basketball.
A year after defeating Carver to win the Blue Division, the Wildcats were back looking to defend its title, but in the White Division this year. finishing third in the White West, in front of some schools that are 10-20+ times the size of the West Side school. Their finish earned them the top seed in the Consolation bracket of the CPL city tournament.
After winning its first three games easily, a matchup with Austin awaited in the championship game at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena on the second night of the CPL Championship Week. Its White West rival was the Cinderella of the tournament, coming in as the 15th seed and upsetting second-seeded King, seventh-seeded Richards and sixth-seeded Mather en route to UIC. The Tigers had actually come into the playoffs with a losing record before winning four consecutive games to bring their overall record to 10-10 coming into the championship game.
When the two teams had met earlier in the season, the Wildcats walked away with a 57-37 win on Jan. 24 and after getting out to a 21-9 lead after the first quarter, it looked as if Manley might win the title with ease.
That wasn’t the case though, as Austin gave the defending champs all it could handle before Manley pulled away for a 71-59 win, a score that wasn’t indicative of how close the game had been. Austin had gotten the lead down to one point at halftime and six points after the third quarter before Manley pulled away at the end.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” Manley coach Carlos Toliver said. “We’ve been through so many trials and tribulations together, they stayed strong, they stayed committed. This transfer coming in, Jonathan Calmese and this highly-ranked sophomore in Jaali Love, it’s just a pleasure to bless them.
“What you guys see out there is what we see at practice. Knowing what was at stake and that it was a higher level, these guys rose to the occasion, so it feels three times better this year.”
A couple of things were paramount for both teams.
Manley shot between 33-62.5% in each quarter, with three quarters of 40% or greater. Its defense also limited the Tigers to just 16.7% shooting (2-of-12) in the fourth quarter and outrebounded its opponent 51-29.
Austin, in the meantime, also had some key things go in its favor as it rallied in the second quarter. After committing nine turnovers in the opening quarter, it would only commit one each in the second and third periods, eventually ending with 15 turnovers, one less than its opponent. It also shot 50% from the field in both the second and third quarters and made six more free throws than Manley did.
‘Before halftime, everyone was worried about their personal stuff but after halftime, it all came together,” Calmese said. “It was all about executing to get the win.”
“We came out after halftime and said ‘we have to lock in,'” Love said. “We beat Austin before, but it’s hard to beat a team twice. WE came out a little nervous, but once we got rolling, we got rolling.”
Calmese led four Manley players in double digits with 20 points, dished out seven assists and pulled down 10 rebounds. Jaali Love added 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Keyontae Mays scored 11 points and Jahili Love added 10 points. Jeffrey Hall led the way for Austin with a game-high 22 points and had six rebounds. Deontae Johnson had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
With their regular seasons now over, both teams look forward to the playoffs, where they hope to make long runs. Both teams are in the Orr Sectional, where Manley is the second seed in the sub-sectional and will host Air Force in a Collins Regional quarterfinal February 19. The Tigers are the fifth seed in the sub-sectional and are in the Walther Christian Regional, where they’ll host Orr in a regional quarterfinal, also on February 19.
Photos by Brandon Parker/OSA
