Mannahouse 53, Columbia Christian 51: 10 Best
Three years ago, Mannahouse Christian – then known as City Christian – only managed to win two games. This season, the Lions find themselves going to the post-season. Knowing full well it could very well have been their final games…
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Continue ReadingThree years ago, Mannahouse Christian – then known as City Christian – only managed to win two games. This season, the Lions find themselves going to the post-season. Knowing full well it could very well have been their final games in high school, seniors Isaac Johnson and McKinley Faria stepped up in a big way and helped lead Mannahouse to a monumental 53-51 upset of Columbia Christian on Thursday night, propeling the Lions to the Northwest League title game and earning them a surprise playoff berth.
It was clear from the start the game would not go the route of the two previous games between these teams, where Columbia Christian won by an average of 30 points. The Knights only led 17-14 after the first quarter and 31-27 at the half, where the 27 points by Mannahouse exceeded the total number of points the Lions scored the last time they played. Down 47-42 in the third, the Lions ran off eight straight points in the fourth, culminated with Johnson putting back his own miss with 5:42 left to give Mannahouse its first second half lead, 48-47.
From there it was nip-and-tuck, with Mannahouse taking a 52-49 lead when Johnson was credited two points on a goaltending call on an attempted layup. With less than 15 seconds left and down by one, Columbia Christian had the ball and a chance to take the lead. Lions sophomore Devin Johnson forced a turnover from Knights guard Jake Moody, got the ball, and was fouled with a second left to go. He made the first of two free throws and the Knight were unable to get a shot off at the end.
“The biggest thing was we just needed to get these guys to believe that they could beat them,” said Mannahouse head coach Ryan Bjornsgard. “They hadn’t had a close game in like five or six weeks so I told them if it was close they would tighten up. I told our guys to play loose, have fun, and play their tails off.”
MVP – McKinley Faria (2020 Mannahouse)
Faria had his shot going all game long, especially in the third quarter when he buried four threes to keep Mannahouse in the game whenever Columbia Christian looked as if it would pull away. On the night he ended up with a game-high 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting, 5-for-10 from three-point range. He was also big on the boards with a team-high six rebounds for the Lions.
Play of the game – Steal by Devin Johnson
Johnson’s steal was unquestionably the play of the game. The subsequent free throw that followed provided the final point to Mannahouse’s 53-51 upset victory.
Best offensive performance – Isaac Johnson (2020 Mannahouse)
Johnson ended the night with 19 points on a variety of shots, hitting 2-for-5 from long range but also converting on a number of drives to the hoop. The
Best defensive performance – The Mannahouse scheme
The Lions were at a huge size disadvantage as their top guys measure only about 6 feet and Columbia Christian featured 7-foot big man Mo Hartwich. So what Bjornsgard did was play a collapsing zone, with two guys on Hartwich at all times. They were able to limit Hartwich to 11 points on only 7 shot attempts and the other players weren’t able to convert their shots, especially in the second half. It was a gamble that worked out.
Best guy off the bench – Aydyn Razatdinov (2021 Columbia Christian)
The key reserve of note was Razatdinov, who came off the pine for the Knights in the first quarter and immediateyl made an impact with his high-energy style of play. He knocked down a couple of threes and scored another basket to rack up eight points and three assists in the first half.
Best intangibles – Devin Johnson (2021 Mannahouse)
The key steal Johnson had at the end was indicative of the hustle he had all game long on both ends of the floor. While he only had four points, he tallied three rebounds, three assists, and four steals in an all-around performance that was critical towards Mannahouse’s win.
Best under-the-radar performance – Freddie Jackson (2021 Columbia Christian)
It’s hard to say it was necessarily under-the-radar but Jackson definitely caught our eye. The 5-foot-8 junior point guard is jet-quick and especially in the first half he got to the basket whenever he wanted to. On the night he ended up with 11 points, four assists, and two steals but his court time was somewhat limited due to foul trouble.
Best underclassman – Matthew Belefski (2023 Mannahouse)
The only freshman or sophomore to play any significant minutes, Belefski started the game for the Lions and ended up on the night with eight points and three rebounds. He had a good feel for the game and essentially took what the defense gave him.
Best coaching job – Ryan Bjornsgard, Mannahouse
You can’t put it any better than to say that Bjornsgard coached his a– off. In addition to setting up the game plan and getting his players to execute on both ends of the floor, he also effectively worked the refs on calls. While he did get T’d up later in the game, his points were made and in the end it all worked out.
Best aspect of the environment – The Crowd
This game might have had been the loudest environment we’ve been to all season. It was a packed house and especially near the end of the game, the fans were so vocal you could hardly hear. In particular, the visiting crowd for Mannahouse was especially amped up and they rightfully celebrated after the Lions won. All in all, an amazing small high school game.