Manchester Central ends skid; Little Green tops Keene, 49-40, for first win

MANCHESTER, NH — As the final buzzer sounded, the reaction from Manchester Central basketball players was less celebration and more relief.

In the seventh game of a maddeningly frustrating season, the Little Green knocked off Keene High, 49-40, before a sparse crowd on Beech Street.

Central squandered a seven-point halftime lead before taking control midway through the fourth quarter. The visiting Blackbirds used full-court pressure to try and make a late run but the Little Green hit six straight free throws down the stretch (18 of 26 overall) to nail down the win.

“We’ve been close (to winning) a long time. Just happy to get it, relieved,” said Central Coach Sudi Lett. “We were able to close it out today. Everyone was a part of this win.”

Jason Gasana led Central with 15 points. Guard Wesley Almeda added 12 points, to go with eight rebounds and five steals. Asher Legno chipped in with nine points.

But it was defense that made the difference for Central. Through the first six games of the season, the Little Green had been giving up an average of 74.8 points a game. Tuesday night, the Little Green played the type of lockdown, man-to-man defense their coaches have been looking for. Keene scored just 14 points in the first half, while committing 12 of its 21 turnovers.

“If we take good shots on offense, we can have a set defense. Our set defense has been pretty good,” said Lett. “I think tonight we did a good job of taking the right shots, so we could get back on defense.”

Central carried a 21-14 lead into the second half, only to see it evaporate within minutes. While the Little Green went ice cold from the field, Keene opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 25-23 lead with 4:35 to play in the quarter.

The Little Green refused to fold, ramping up the defensive pressure and finding their range from the field. Two free throws from Legno and a 3-pointer by Almeda started Central on its own 13-2 run to close the quarter. Gasana closed the run with back-to-back 3-pointers (from somewhere around the Notre Dame Bridge) to give his team a 36-27 lead after three.

“Those (3-pointers) were huge for us,” said Lett. “The kids look to Jason as a leader. He’s been great for us all year. He’s definitely an all-state caliber player in our league.”

Keene used a full-court press in the fourth quarter to try and claw its way back into the game. Forward Lucas Malay (game-high 17 points, 14 rebounds) scored on a put-back and added a pair of free throws to help the Blackbirds cut the deficit to 38-32 with just over three minutes to play.

With momentum slipping away, Almeda drained a rainbow 3-pointer from the corner to put the Little Green up 41-32. Free throws down the stretch by Dawon Tyler-Fulce, Gasana, and Legno sealed the deal.

Central will be back in action Friday night, when they head across town to take on Memorial (4-3) at 7 p.m.