The Manchester cagers climbed back to the .500 level for the fifth time this season after topping visiting Tuslaw 65-51, Jan. 22 in a Principal Athletic Conference game.
The Panthers play this season has been a model of inconsistency, but Head Coach Gene Schindewolf feels his troops are on the verge of turning the corner following its latest victory.
"I feel that we're improving and making strides, and playing with more confidence," said Schindewolf. "We're also at full strength for the first time this season, which doesn't hurt either. We can go 9-10 deep, and keep our kids fresher."
Manchester's depth was evident in its win over the Mustangs as they eventually wore their rivals out in the final 16 minutes.
After a tight first half, which featured seven lead changes, and seven ties, the Panthers outscored Tuslaw 22-13 in the third quarter to take a 50-41 bulge into the final stanza.
Manchester, who avenged a earlier season 59-55 setback, would then go on a 7-2 surge to open the fourth, and put the game out of reach.
"We got good contribution from our bench tonight, " praised Schindewolf. " Another big factor in our win was getting to the line."
The Panthers managed to get to the charity stripe 32 times converting 20 of them, while limited to Mustangs three free throws in just six attempts.
Junior Nick Miller led Manchester (6-6, 4-3) with 22 points, and 11 rebounds, while junior Mark Noble added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of steals.
Nate Getz had 24 points, and six boards for the (6-7, 6-4) Mustangs.
The Panthers shot 42 percent from the floor (21 of 50) to Tuslaw's 38 percent (18 of 48). Manchester held a 29-19 rebounding advantage.
"We're hoping that we can build off this win, and take off from here," said Schindewolf.
The black and red will be back in action on Tuesday visiting Kidron. They will also host Canton Timken on Friday.
