Takeaways from Manhattan’s win at Emporia

<p>With some other contests snowed out, the headline game of the area was Manhattan at Emporia. The Indians hit the road in hopes of a bounce back from their loss to Washburn Rural. They got the win 62-55 to stay atop the Centennial League standings. Here are a few takeaways:</p> <p>1) The game would have been very different if Emporia's <strong>Charles Snyder</strong> had played:</p> <p>The 6-foot-4 junior was held out due to illness. Snyder’s 23.4 points per game were badly missed. He went for 33 in his last outing against Topeka High.</p> <p>2) A couple of other Spartans stepped up admirably:</p> <p>Emporia probably couldn’t have expected to get 18 points from 5-foot-11 senior <strong>Beau Baumgardner</strong>, but his effort went a long ways to fill in the hole left by Snyder’s absence. Fellow senior <strong>Skyler Douglas</strong> is usually a pretty reliable producer, and he stepped up with 21 points to lead Emporia.</p> <p>3) Manhattan continued its balanced offense:</p> <p>As is so typical, the Indians had four players score in double figures: <strong>Chandler Weixelman</strong> with 16, <strong>Owen Braxmeyer</strong> with 12, <strong>Raeshon Riddick</strong> with 11, and <strong>Chandler Marks</strong> with 10.   </p> <p>4) The Spartans showed fight:</p> <p>The Indians jumped out to a 15-point lead early as Emporia adjusted to Snyder’s absence. But they fought back to within 2 in the third quarter, and kept it close the rest of the way. Perhaps the Spartans will benefit from developing some other options to support Snyder.</p> <p>5) There is still plenty of time for Manhattan:</p> <p>The league title is still within their reach. Washburn Rural’s loss to Topeka High keeps them in a tie with the Indians, which will hold for another 10 days or so. Manhattan will play three non-league games as everyone plays in their winter tournaments. The Indians will get a rematch with Washburn Rural on Feb. 18.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>