All hands on deck in Manchester Central boys basketball's win over Manchester Memorial

MANCHESTER - When the Manchester Central High School boys basketball team is playing together and getting contributions from up and down the roster is when the Little Green will be at their best.

Friday night against Manchester Memorial, Central took another step closer to that level.

The Little Green got scoring from 10 different players as coach Sudi Lett mixed and matched lineups all night, and the end result was a 68-55 road win over the Crusaders, the third in a row for Central after a rough stretch of five losses in six games.

"I feel like I’m saying the same thing over and over, but they’re starting to play better as a team," Lett said. "Early in the season, we weren’t playing as well as a team, but (Friday), we saw a lot of teammate behavior. When anybody scored, everybody was pumped, everybody was excited and bought in."

Jesus Milan scored all of his game-high 17 points in the second half, including 13 in the third quarter, when Central (6-5) went on an 18-4 run to turn a 12-point halftime lead into a 50-24 advantage. The run included a three-minute stretch where the Little Green held Memorial scoreless, while dropping in 15 points of their own.

"In the second half, he was the difference," Lett said of Milan. "Once they start getting active on defense, I feel like we can beat anybody. We’re still learning how to play without fouling, still trying to make sure we show our hands."

Memorial (0-10) got 14 points from Deng Akok while Jack Fitzgerald had 10 points and Christian Sebo added nine, as the Crusaders also got contributions from 10 different players.

After Memorial scored the first two points of the game, Central went on a 10-0 run before the Crusaders took a timeout with 4:04 still left in the first quarter. Out of the break, Memorial answered with an 8-0 run of its own to tie the game, but the Little Green were able to get back up and lead 19-12 at the end of one.

Central led by as many as 14 points in the first half, as Lett mixed in a number of younger players.

"My idea is that at this level, anybody can make a contribution," he said. "The more contributions you get at this level the better. As the playoffs come, and the pressure gets ratcheted up, you want as many people who feel comfortable on the court as possible because things happen. Foul trouble, whatever, and you don’t want to have one of your top guys out and have a kid who has been sitting on the bench the whole year in."

Down 26 points after Central's third-quarter run, Memorial started to chip away, cutting the lead to 19 points going into the fourth. The Crusaders outscored the Little Green 14-6 over the first five-plus minutes of the final quarter to get within 11 points, 60-49, but couldn't get any closer.