Wawasee Tops Whitko In 2OT Thriller
December 12, 2016 at 5:22 p.m.
Wawasee Tops Whitko In 2OT Thriller
By Mark [email protected]
For the Wawasee Warriors Saturday night it was Cameron Schlabach.
The Wawasee senior hit a trio of three-pointers in key situations to help his team beat Whitko 54-47 in double overtime at the Hardwood TePee.
The first Schlabach trey came in the fourth quarter, as part of a furious Warrior rally to force the first overtime. The second tied the game late in the first extra period, and the third opened a 12-point outburst in the second OT.
But Schlabach was just one of many who made the game exciting. Both teams played tight defense, and it seemed the rebound from each missed shot was its own event.
Whitko certainly played well enough to win through most of regulation play, turning the ball over just seven times. But Wawasee used its possessions to slow the game down and reduce the number of opportunities the Wildcats had to score.
“We knew exactly what they were going to do, and they are a really high-powered offense,” Wawasee head coach Jon Everingham said. “I really felt like reducing some possessions in trying to keep it in the 30s was going to be to our advantage. I just didn’t know if we could do that.
“(Nate) Walpole is really good and River West is a really good shooter. I just didn’t know if it was even possible to keep the score lower. It’s a credit to our guys. Our defensive effort was outstanding.”
Walpole got his points, finishing with 24 and earning every bucket. West hit a pair of threes and finished with 13 points.
Wildcat sophomore Spencer Sroufe was a force on the boards with nine rebounds in the game before he fouled out in the first overtime.
The Wildcats were playing their third gams in five days, and Whitko coach Eli Henson said his team lost a lot of energy late, especially after Sroufe fouled out.
“We had plenty of times to close that game out in the fourth quarter and then in the first overtime,” Henson said. “It should have never gotten to the point that it did.
“You know, hats off to them. They kept fighting back and grinding away at us. I thought our effort and our toughness was there all night. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get stops we needed when we had the lead.”
After a no-call on a Walpole drive to the hoop that would have drawn the Wildcats to within one with 15.1 seconds remaining, and Wawasee’s Jacob Hand hit a free throw on the other end to make it a two-possession game, Henson said something to an official that drew a technical foul. The free throws accounted for the final margin.
While declining to comment on the call, Henson did say he was pleased with the way his team played.
“I felt we grew a lot tonight”, said Henson. “Toughness and the fire tonight, that’s what I love to see.
“I know we didn’t win, but this wasn’t a conference game, this didn’t end our season. We’re alright. I felt like we still got better tonight. It just didn’t show up on the scoreboard.”
After a 4-0 start, Whitko has dropped its last two. The Wildcats will travel to Akron Friday night to take on Tippecanoe Valley in Three Rivers Conference play.
Trevon Coleman had a team-high 16 points for Wawasee, and Hand finished with 11. The Warriors (4-1) host county rival Warsaw Friday night in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.
WAWASEE 54, WHITKO 47 (2 OT)
WH 10 4 13 9 6 5 – 47
WA 6 9 7 14 6 12 – 54
Whitko – Alex Bechtold 1-5 0-0 2. Colin Craig 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Robbins 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Walpole 8-19 8-10 24, River West 5-13 1-2 13, Brian Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Spencer Sroufe 3-8 2-2 8. Totals 17-46 11-14 47.
Wawasee – Cayden Wegener 0-0 2-2 2, Cameron Schlabach 3-3 0-0 9, Tyler Smith 2-7 3-5 7, Jairus Boyer 2-4 2-2 6, Jacob Hand 3-5 4-5 11, Bennett Hoffert 1-4 0-0 3, Trevon Coleman 7-12 2-5 16, Tim Conley 0-0 0-0 0, Dalton Pearish 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-35 13-19 54.
Three-pointers – Whitko 2 (West 2), Wawasee 5 (Schlabach 3, Hand, Hoffert); Rebounds – Whitko 21 (Sroufe 9), Wawasee 22 (Smith 7); Turnovers – Whitko 8, Wawasee 17; Fouls – Whitko 16, Wawasee 16; Fouled out – Sroufe; Technical foul – Whitko coach Henson; Records: Whitko 4-2, Wawasee 4-1
JV – Wawasee 46, Whitko 32
Whitko – Cade Bechtold 7, Shad Ebbinghouse 6, Clayton Ebbinghouse 6, Luis Stanley 4, Thad Glidden 4, Micah Cokl 3, Trae Arnold 2
Wawasee – Aaron Evans 13, Austin Miller 8, Bennett Hoffert 5, Ryan Edington 5, Josh Slabaugh 4, Zak Linnemeier 4, Dalton Pearish 4, Cayden Wegener 3
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For the Wawasee Warriors Saturday night it was Cameron Schlabach.
The Wawasee senior hit a trio of three-pointers in key situations to help his team beat Whitko 54-47 in double overtime at the Hardwood TePee.
The first Schlabach trey came in the fourth quarter, as part of a furious Warrior rally to force the first overtime. The second tied the game late in the first extra period, and the third opened a 12-point outburst in the second OT.
But Schlabach was just one of many who made the game exciting. Both teams played tight defense, and it seemed the rebound from each missed shot was its own event.
Whitko certainly played well enough to win through most of regulation play, turning the ball over just seven times. But Wawasee used its possessions to slow the game down and reduce the number of opportunities the Wildcats had to score.
“We knew exactly what they were going to do, and they are a really high-powered offense,” Wawasee head coach Jon Everingham said. “I really felt like reducing some possessions in trying to keep it in the 30s was going to be to our advantage. I just didn’t know if we could do that.
“(Nate) Walpole is really good and River West is a really good shooter. I just didn’t know if it was even possible to keep the score lower. It’s a credit to our guys. Our defensive effort was outstanding.”
Walpole got his points, finishing with 24 and earning every bucket. West hit a pair of threes and finished with 13 points.
Wildcat sophomore Spencer Sroufe was a force on the boards with nine rebounds in the game before he fouled out in the first overtime.
The Wildcats were playing their third gams in five days, and Whitko coach Eli Henson said his team lost a lot of energy late, especially after Sroufe fouled out.
“We had plenty of times to close that game out in the fourth quarter and then in the first overtime,” Henson said. “It should have never gotten to the point that it did.
“You know, hats off to them. They kept fighting back and grinding away at us. I thought our effort and our toughness was there all night. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get stops we needed when we had the lead.”
After a no-call on a Walpole drive to the hoop that would have drawn the Wildcats to within one with 15.1 seconds remaining, and Wawasee’s Jacob Hand hit a free throw on the other end to make it a two-possession game, Henson said something to an official that drew a technical foul. The free throws accounted for the final margin.
While declining to comment on the call, Henson did say he was pleased with the way his team played.
“I felt we grew a lot tonight”, said Henson. “Toughness and the fire tonight, that’s what I love to see.
“I know we didn’t win, but this wasn’t a conference game, this didn’t end our season. We’re alright. I felt like we still got better tonight. It just didn’t show up on the scoreboard.”
After a 4-0 start, Whitko has dropped its last two. The Wildcats will travel to Akron Friday night to take on Tippecanoe Valley in Three Rivers Conference play.
Trevon Coleman had a team-high 16 points for Wawasee, and Hand finished with 11. The Warriors (4-1) host county rival Warsaw Friday night in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.
WAWASEE 54, WHITKO 47 (2 OT)
WH 10 4 13 9 6 5 – 47
WA 6 9 7 14 6 12 – 54
Whitko – Alex Bechtold 1-5 0-0 2. Colin Craig 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Robbins 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Walpole 8-19 8-10 24, River West 5-13 1-2 13, Brian Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Spencer Sroufe 3-8 2-2 8. Totals 17-46 11-14 47.
Wawasee – Cayden Wegener 0-0 2-2 2, Cameron Schlabach 3-3 0-0 9, Tyler Smith 2-7 3-5 7, Jairus Boyer 2-4 2-2 6, Jacob Hand 3-5 4-5 11, Bennett Hoffert 1-4 0-0 3, Trevon Coleman 7-12 2-5 16, Tim Conley 0-0 0-0 0, Dalton Pearish 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-35 13-19 54.
Three-pointers – Whitko 2 (West 2), Wawasee 5 (Schlabach 3, Hand, Hoffert); Rebounds – Whitko 21 (Sroufe 9), Wawasee 22 (Smith 7); Turnovers – Whitko 8, Wawasee 17; Fouls – Whitko 16, Wawasee 16; Fouled out – Sroufe; Technical foul – Whitko coach Henson; Records: Whitko 4-2, Wawasee 4-1
JV – Wawasee 46, Whitko 32
Whitko – Cade Bechtold 7, Shad Ebbinghouse 6, Clayton Ebbinghouse 6, Luis Stanley 4, Thad Glidden 4, Micah Cokl 3, Trae Arnold 2
Wawasee – Aaron Evans 13, Austin Miller 8, Bennett Hoffert 5, Ryan Edington 5, Josh Slabaugh 4, Zak Linnemeier 4, Dalton Pearish 4, Cayden Wegener 3
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