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McCarter, Stesiak, Reinartz all score in double figures as Rochester stays unbeaten in TRC
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
NORTH MANCHESTER –- Despite coach Rob Malchow not being there to guide them through it, the Rochester boys basketball team beat host Manchester Friday to remain unbeaten in the Three Rivers Conference.
Grant McCarter scored 14 points to lead three Zebras in double figures in a 58-52 win. Quin Stesiak added 12 points, and Kyle Reinartz had 10 for the Zebras, who improved to 9-1
overall and 4-0 in the Three Rivers Conference.
Tarick McGlothin scored all nine of his points in the second half.
Weston Hamby scored 23 points, and Max Carter added 12 for Manchester, who fell to 6-4, 3-1.
The loss snapped Manchester’s six-game winning streak overall and their nine-game winning streak against Rochester. The win was RHS’ first against the Squires since Jan. 18, 2013.
The nine-game streak included seven regular season wins and sectional games in 2017 and 2019.
“You talk about history and those kinds of things are nice,” Rochester varsity assistant coach Tony Stesiak said. “But we just wanted to be 1-0 tonight. That’s the only thing that mattered to us because it keeps us in control of our own destiny for the conference.
“One-game winning streaks will get you pretty far. It’s nice when you can look back because … I don't know how many Rochester basketball teams have wins at Whitko, against Valley and at Manchester in the same year. I just have a lot of respect for this conference and the history of the conference. … We’ve not had a lot of great memories here in recent years in this building.”
Hamby hit a 3-pointer 45 seconds into the game, but McCarter hit two 3-pointers and Stesiak hit a 3 to give RHS a 9-3 lead, and they never trailed again.
The lead got as big as 16 in the third quarter when Trenton Reinholt and McCarter hit 3s on back-to-back possessions to cap an 11-0 run and make it 38-22.
With Manchester pressing on defense and Hamby continually attacking the goal, they would get within six on four different occasions in the fourth quarter, but the Zebras warded off any Squire rally with almost impeccable foul shooting.
Rochester went 10 for 11 from the line in the fourth quarter and 16 for 19 for the game. By comparison, Manchester was 9 for 12.
Malchow missed the game because he was “under the weather,” according to Tony Stesiak. Stesiak, normally the varsity assistant, guided the team in Malchow’s stead. It was the first time Stesiak had coached an RHS basketball team since he stepped down as the girls coach in 2017.
Rochester keyed on three players when they were on defense, according to coach Stesiak. Hamby is a quick, penetrating point guard. Maddox Zolman is a good shooter. Carter fills a similar role for Manchester as Reinartz and Quin Stesiak do for RHS.
“I thought the defense was good,” Stesiak said. “Hamby got loose a little bit in the fourth, but that was desperation time when he basically put his head down and got some calls and went to the free throw line, but that was alright. I thought we were the more complete team. We had three in doubles (double figures) and one with nine. Hamby was a great player, but I think we were a great team tonight. And that’s what we wanted to be. We wanted to be the better team on the floor and get more contributions from more people, and I think we did that.”
Manchester got within 51-45 on a Carter Bedke putback after a backcourt steal, but Stesiak answered with two free throws with 1:35 left.
Carter hit a 12-footer from the left baseline, but McGlothin – who went seven for seven from the line in the second half – canned a pair with 1:06 left to make it 55-47.
Hamby scored on a driving layup, but McCarter hit two with 33.7 seconds left, and after another RHS stop, McCarter split a pair with 15.7 seconds left to get the lead to nine.
“It’s tough winning here, especially at Manchester,” McCarter said. “It’s a good atmosphere, I think, but you always like to come out on top. I’m just excited about the start we’ve had to our season.”
McCarter and Quin Stesiak had to do more ballhandling with Hamby hounding McGlothin.
“Quin was our point guard until freshman year when he decided he wanted to bang with the big guys,” McCarter said. “So it’s just nice. Quin is so versatile like that, and obviously, I can handle it if they are taking away Tarick. I think it was good. Coach Stesiak is mostly our offensive guy anyway, and he did a good job, I think.”
Rochester built a 27-17 lead in the second quarter when Quin Stesiak split a pair of free throws with 26.5 seconds left, but Hamby swished a 3 with five seconds left in the half to get Manchester back within seven.
Rochester notes
Rochester now has wins over North Judson, Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley, Caston and Manchester. They lost to all five of those teams last year.
Rochester has wins over Whitko, Valley and Manchester in the same season for the first time since the 2006-07 season. They are also 4-0 in the TRC for the first time since the 2006-07 season. They are 9-1 for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Rochester beat Manchester on the road for the first time in exactly 11 years -- since Jan. 22, 2010.
Rochester and Peru (5-0) are the only remaining unbeaten teams in conference play. Peru’s season-opening 11-game winning streak ended with a 62-60 loss to Frankfort Friday. Peru travels to Rochester on Feb. 19. Rochester still has three conference games and Peru has two before then.
Rochester 58, Manchester 52
ROCHESTER (58) (9-1, 4-0)
Grant McCarter 4 3-4 14, Tarick McGlothin 1 7-7 9, Quin Stesiak 4 3-4 12, Kyle Reinartz 5 0-0 10, Blake Hughes 2 1-2 5, Aaron Huffman 0 0-0 0, Trenton Reinholt 1 2-2 5, Aidan Smith 1 0-0 3
TEAM: 18 16-19 58
MANCHESTER (52) (6-4, 3-1)
Weston Hamby 7 6-6 23, Carter Bedke 1 0-0 2, Cade Jones 2 2-4 6, Max Carter 5 1-2 12, Brayden Jones 0 0-0 0, Maddox Zolman 2 0-0 5, Gavin Martin 0 0-0 0, Luke Ramer 0 0-0 0, Gabe Case 2 0-0 4
TEAM: 19 9-12 52
Three-point field goals:
Rochester 6 (McCarter 3, Stesiak, Reinholt, Smith),
Manchester 5 (Hamby 3, Carter, Zolman)
Total fouls: Rochester 11, Manchester 20
Fouled out: C. Jones (MAN), :33.7, fourth
Turnovers: Rochester 8, Manchester 6
Score by quarters
Rochester 15 12 15 16 – 58
Manchester 10 10 12 20 – 52
