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Hunter Zentz (11) calls a play after achieving a foul.

The Manitou Springs Boys’ Basketball team had its first home game win against Machebeuf, with a score of 65-52. “It was good to finally get it off our chest, it was frustrating to not get the first couple wins of the season. We get to continue on to the season and improve from there,” said Cole Sienknecht (12).

The game was close in the first quarter with Manitou Springs leading by 2. At halftime, Machebeuf had a 2 point win. A buzzer in the third quarter caused a disagreement between teams, parents and coaches. The buzzer sounded, then a shot was made by the Buffaloes. After a discussion between refs, the basket was counted. The Mustangs pulled ahead by 10 points at the end of the third quarter. Sienknecht made a last second half-court shot, helping the team pull ahead.

“You could see guys hustling. We played together as a team way better. The conditioning we are doing in practice paid off. We were not as tired when we finished the game,” said Jace Gwynn (12).

In the fourth quarter, Mustangs fought to keep the lead, with fouls on both sides of the court. “It’s something to build off of. The first few games were rough. We lost games we should have won. Getting a win is gonna help us in the long run and show us we can play against really good teams,” said Sienknecht.