‘They don’t quit’: Central-West girls battle, fall at home

MANCHESTER, NH – A little more than a year after merging programs, the Manchester Central/West co-op varsity girls basketball team finds itself in the thick of the Division-I playoff race.

So despite a 60-45 home setback against Alvirne Tuesday night, longtime Central head coach Mike Wenners said the reality the game was still meaningful at this point in the season is an accomplishment in itself.

“As I told the kids after the game, ‘this was frustrating, and that’s actually a good sign,'” said Wenners. “Because that means that’s a game we’re now competing.”

Indeed, Central/West (6-7) battled throughout Tuesday night’s contest, twice coming back from a double-digit deficit – including a 10-1 run to end the third quarter to draw within three – before Alvirne (8-6) pulled away for good with a 19-7 fourth quarter.

“It’s tough when you’re fighting uphill all game, but I’ll take my team any day,” said Wenners. “They fight.

“They’re going to play, and they’re going to play to the buzzer and they’re going to work really hard,” he said. “The steps we’ve made over the last year and a half, together, as a group, have been fantastic, and we’re seeing results this year.”

Despite the Broncos taking an early 16-8 lead and controlling play for the majority of the contest, Alvirne head coach Frank Girginis said he was proud of his team for heading back to Hudson still ahead of the hosts in the Division-I standings.

“Anytime you come here to Central, it’s tough, so we’re just happy to get out of here with a win,” said Alvirne head coach Frank Girginis. “Mike (Wenners) is a legend up here. He gets his kids to play hard, no matter the talent or skill level. You know, he’s got a bunch of athletes. They don’t quit, it’s evident and the kids play hard. I think that tells the tale.”

While Alvirne next moves on to play Merrimack Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before a five-day break, Central/West is scheduled to play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at 3-10 Goffstown High School and then has a quick turnaround with a home game against 7-7 Keene Friday.

The team closes the regular season away at 9-6 Timberlane, home against 8-5 Salem and on the road at 8-6 Exeter on Feb. 18, 21 and 25, respectively.

“You know, the gauntlet isn’t going to be easy,” said Wenners. “We have a lot of tough teams ahead of us, but if we learn from today and make a few tweaks … we did some fantastic things out there today, we did some other things we need to clean up, so if we can clean those things up, this, overall, was a positive step for us.”

Regardless of how his team finishes the season in terms of wins and losses, or whether or not it makes the playoffs, Wenners said the girls on the court have already made this season a success.

“It’s a great group. The coaches enjoy coming to practice every day,” he said. “It’s been fun to see two schools become one team.”