ROCKPORT — Another game, another win for the Manchester Essex boys hoop team.
The deep and versatile Hornets have rolled through their Cape Ann League competition thus far, dominating their way to an unbeaten record with six regular season games remaining. Their latest victory came on the road at Rockport Thursday night against a much improved Vikings squad that recently qualified for the state tournament themselves.
But as hard as Rockport played, they simply couldn’t keep pace with the fast-paced Hornets, who jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a wire-to-wire 71-43 decision.
“They’re just good; I mean, I don’t really know how to come up with anything other than that,” admitted Rockport head coach Phil Whitley, his team now 10-6. “They’re just unbelievable. Their depth, their size, their speed … they’re just at another level.”
Just like they have all season, Manchester’s stellar 1-2 punch of Cade Furse (20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) and Eddie Chareas (14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) steered the ship in Vikings’ territory.
Furse picked his spots offensively and always made the right decisions with the ball in his hands. Defensively, his ball pressure and intelligent anticipation off-ball caused fits for Rockport’s collection of guards.
Meanwhile, Chareas patrolled the paint effectively once again, swatting anything within reach of his lengthy wing span and altering any other attempts near the rim. Often times Rockport players were hesitant to even challenge him down low, largely settling for outside jumpers.
Manchester’s two-headed monster helped them pick up swift leads of 8-0 and 11-4; they led 19-10 after one quarter and increased that lead to a insurmountable 44-23 margin at halftime.
“They cleaned us up pretty good on the offensive end last time we played them, but we made a lot of adjustments and came here ready to play tonight,” said Manchester coach Tim St. Laurent. “So really proud of the boys tonight.
“We were rotating really well again (defensively); they had five guards on the floor and Eddie (Chareas) said, ‘Don’t worry coach, I’ll be able to handle it.’ and he did a good job.”
Rockport had its moments, with guys like Ed Merz (11 points, 4 assists) and Chase Wheat (team-high 15 points) fearlessly snaking their way into the lane time and time again. Merz drew a number of fouls in the opening half with hard drives, while Wheat continued to apply pressure off the dribble throughout.
Despite their efforts, Manchester never let the hosts climb back into things, snaring a 61-30 lead after three quarters and cruising to the finish line from there. Rockport’s leading scorer, Josiah Whitley, was held in check for the entire game, finally knocking down his only shot of the night midway through the final frame.
“Bummer of a night, but they’re undefeated for a reason,” said Whitley. “But playing in the CAL is fabulous for us because we’re going to be battled tested by the time we get to the D5 tournament. A game like this is hard, but we have to rise above the frustration and just play hard and not splinter as a team when things get challenging like this.
“The great thing too is that (Manchester Essex) is going to represent the Cape Ann League really well in the state tournament so we can cheer them on that way,” he added.
Outside of Furse and Chareas, Manchester got some strong play from sophomore sharpshooter Johnny Chareas. He knocked down four triples on the evening (three of which came in the opening half) en route to 13 points. Preston Potter was a pest defensively and canned some impressive shots, finishing with five points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Freshman Graham Lewis even got some quality run and showed out. The speedy guard cashed in on a 3-ball, snagged six rebounds, dished out three assists and swiped a couple of steals in limited action.
Rockport also rotated in some of their bench guys late in action, including Sam Kesterson, who splashed one home from deep on his only shot attempt of the night.
Rockport faces North Reading next, while the Hornets will now turn their attention to another CAL powerhouse, Newburyport, with that clash slated for Monday back in Manchester.
“I’m just looking forward to two great teams going at it,” said St. Laurent. “I’m very happy we’re at home and we’ll get ready for a couple of days and have some fun on Monday.”
Manchester Essex 71, Rockport 43
at Rockport High School
Manchester Essex (14-0) 19 25 17 10 71
Rockport (10-6) 10 13 7 13
Individual statistics
Manchester Essex — Preston Potter 2-1-5, Milo Zeltzer 1-0-2, Cade Furse 8-3-20, John Chareas 4-1-13, Ben Jacobsen 2-0-5, Jake Zschau 3-0-7, Graham Lewis 1-0-3, Eddie Chareas 7-0-14, Chris Glass 1-0-2. Totals: 29-5-71.
Rockport — Brooks Slingluff 2-0-5, Pat Reardon 2-0-4, Elliot Lyma 1-0-2, Ed Merz 2-6-11, Josiah Whitley 1-0-3, Chase Wheat 5-4-15, Sam Kesterson 1-0-3. Totals: 14-10-43.
Halftime: 44-23, Manchester
3-Pointers: M — J. Chareas 4, Furse, Jacobsen, Zschau, Lewis; R — Slingluff, Merz, Whitley, Wheat, Kesterson.