Manual roars back in fourth to clinch 2A state championship game berth

Manual head coach Marvin Jordan yells during Thursday's Class 2A state semifinal. Knox Mynatt/Clutch Sports Media

CHAMPAIGN — Manual battled and battled and battled in Thursday’s Class 2A state semifinals. 

For over two quarters, the Rams were close with Tolono Unity, but couldn't grab the lead.

But the Rams finally saw the fruits of their labor pay off in the fourth quarter as they clamped down the Rockets' offense, surged in front for good and punched its ticket to Saturday's Class 2A state championship game against the winner of Quincy Notre Dame and Chicago Farragut.

Manual never held the lead in the third quarter and went down by as many as eight, but 10 third-quarter points from Josh Humbles helped them claw back and trail 44-40 entering the fourth.

The Rams continued their run into the fourth as a layup from Humbles tied it at 44 with 7:12 to go and a layup from Brown gave them a 46-44 lead for a 10-0 run. Manual's lead grew to 54-47 as layups from Reggie Postlewaite and Humbles electrified the Rams faithful.

Two minutes and a handful of free throws later, the Rams clinched their spot in their first state championship game since 2010. Manual is seeking its first state championship since 1997.

In a first four minutes that saw four lead changes, Manual gained an 11-6 advantage due largely in part to Postlewaite. The senior guard came away with three steals in a 56-second span that led to a pair of layups from Jaquan Brown and a coast-to-coast layup from himself. 

The Rams recorded five assists on their first six field goals, but the Rockets buckled down and had a strong display of their own teamwork, using buckets from four different players to go on a 9-3 run and end the first quarter with a 15-14 advantage. 

Foul trouble hampered Manual early in the second with three whistles going against the Rams in the first minute and Humbles picking up his second foul with seven minutes remaining in the frame. 

Unity went on a 7-0 run in the span of 1:26 to seize a 22-16 lead with 6:01 left in the second. However, Manual nipped at the Rockets’ heels and cut the deficit to two points three more times, including a layup from Jaemel Shipp to go down 28-26 going into halftime. 

Humbles led Manual with 19 points while Postlewaite added 13 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and six assists. Tolliver tallied 11 points and Brown chipped in 10 to the winning cause.

This story will be updated