12-11 Wildcats In Familiar Underdog Role
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SOUTH WHITLEY - Second-year Whitko boys basketball coach Steve Pickett doesn't mind being in the underdog role. In fact, it's as if he prefers to be in that position.
After all, it was his Wildcats that were written off in the sectional but put together three solid performances, including a 63-53 win over No. 3 Plymouth, in winning the school's first sectional since 1996.
Whitko enters tonight's 3A regional contest with a 12-11 record. To pick up the school's first regional crown since 1991, when current Tippecanoe Valley coach Bill Patrick took a Steve Nicodemus-led team to the final four, the Wildcats have to beat 19-4 No. 8 Benton Central.
Benton Central coach Pat Skaggs said he isn't interested in knowing that the Wildcats are just above .500. To him, Whitko is 3-0.
"I've had a chance to watch them on tape, they look like a very good team," Skaggs said. "They're a lot better than their 12-11 record shows. To come out of a sectional with Plymouth, Tippecanoe Valley and Rochester is impressive."
Skaggs is in his sixth year with the Bison, winning sectional titles in 1996, '97, '98 and this year, but Benton Central hasn't won a regional championship since the early 1980s.
To win that elusive crown this year, the Bison will rely on a pair of frontliners who combine for nearly 40 points and 15 rebounds per game.
Six-foot-4 junior forward Blake Schoen leads the Bison with 22.4 points and eight rebounds per game. Pickett said former Whitko junior varsity coach and current Carroll head coach Rob Irwin compares Schoen to Nicodemus, a former Divsion I player for Michigan State University.
Complementing Schoen is 6-5 senior forward Jay Dawson, who averages 16.5 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.
Benton Central starts nobody under 6-0 and averages 70-plus points per game.
"We like to get out and go," Skaggs said. "We're gonna try and get out in transition and score."
Said Pickett: "The first thing we have to do is get back on defense. Their transition offense is very good. We have to control the paint and stop their dribble penetration."
For Benton Central to advance to the semistate for the first time in nearly 20 years, the Bison will have to control a multifaceted Whitko team.
Skaggs calls Whitko a "very scary team because of their balance."
Six-foot-2 sophomore Alex Frantz paces Whitko with 15.2 points per game, while senior Josh Hoffman adds 14.2, senior Adam Wendel 11.6, sophomore Ben Garber 7.2, Brad Walpole 6.5 and Brent Goble 4.8.
Any of the aforementioned Wildcats are capable of stepping up on any given night. Against third-ranked Plymouth (19-3) in the sectional championship, it was Garber off the bench scoring 15. In a 23-point win over Rochester in the sectional semifinals, it was Hoffman scoring 22 and Wendel 18. In an eight-point win over CMA in the sectional opener, it was Frantz going for 25 and Wendel for 18.
Whitko averages 62 points per contest and shoots 46 percent from the field as a team.
Whitko is designated as the host school in the scenario, but the game will not be played on the Wildcats' home floor.
Because regionals fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in class basketball, Whitko is too far for Benton Central to travel, according to an IHSAA rule that doesn't allow teams to travel more than 110 miles one way on a school night.
Instead, the game will be played at Northfield, with tip-off set for 7:15 p.m. tonight.
"We want our boys to be as comfortable as possible," Pickett said. "Wherever we play the boys will be competitive. We're gonna have a practice there, but Benton Central is just gonna have a shoot-around before the game."
WHITKO 3A REGIONAL
2000-2001 WHITKO BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG
Alex Frantz 135-254 53.1 0-4 0 65-91 71.4 335 15.2 56 2.4 37 1.6 122 5.6
Josh Hoffman 120-256 46.9 0-0 -- 72-92 78.3 312 14.2 56 2.4 35 1.5 151 6.9
Adam Wendel 93-219 42.5 25-69 36.2 44-61 72.1 255 11.6 82 3.6 28 1.4 73 3.3
Ben Garber 55-99 55.6 0-0 -- 41-61 67.2 151 7.2 10 0.4 21 0.9 44 2.1
Brad Walpole 51-142 35.9 12-43 27.9 29-41 70.7 143 6.5 94 4.1 21 0.9 43 1.95
Brent Goble 47-94 50 0-2 0 11-14 78.6 105 4.8 65 2.8 24 1.0 89 4.1
Alan Robbins 10-25 40 3-9 33.3 16-19 84.2 39 3.0 10 0.4 9 0.4 8 0.6
John Woods 15-32 46.9 0-0 -- 11-18 61.1 41 2.1 19 0.8 3 0.1 27 1.35
Whitko 538-1159 46.4 44-141 31.2 306-423 72.3 1426 62.0 415 18.0 197 8.6 575 25.0
Opponents N/A
2000-2001 BENTON CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG R RPG
Blake Schoen 201-347 57.9 6-18 33.3 107-164 63.4 515 22.4 83 3.6 183 7.9
Jay Dawson 147-330 44.5 26-81 32.1 60-81 74.1 380 16.5 97 4.2 116 5.1
Trent Wiley 69-161 42.9 27-73 36.9 48-57 84.2 228 9.9 77 3.3 55 2.4
Tyler Scheror 69-165 41.8 39-97 40.2 38-53 71.7 215 9.3 78 3.4 101 4.4
Ryan Sipe 40-80 50 1-2 50 57-74 77 138 6.0 65 2.8 140 6.1
Mark Muller 22-57 38.6 9-32 28.1 13-24 54.1 66 3.3 36 1.8 20 1.0
Benton Central 592-1241 47.7 126-331 38 349-497 70.2 1659 72.1 476 20.7 732 31.8
Opponents 501-N/A N/A 125-N/A N/A 234-N/A N/A 1361 59.2 N/A N/A N/A N/A
WHITKO WILDCATS (12-11)
*Home games
Columbia City 66, Whitko 41
*Homestead 74, Whitko 63
*Whitko 64, Norwell 59
*Whitko 57, Central Noble 55 OT
Tippecanoe Valley 70, Whitko 60
*Wabash 68, Whitko 60
*Whitko 68, Rochester 54
Whitko 72, Fort Wayne Canterbury 36
*Southwood 68, Whitko 63
*Whitko 81, Churubusco 61
*Whitko 67, Northfield 56
Oak Hill 87, Whitko 57
*Fort Wayne Dwenger 59, Whitko 58
Whitko 64, North Miami 60
*Manchester 68, Whitko 61
*Carroll 90, Whitko 61
Whitko 70, Fort Wayne North 65
NorthWood 70, Whitko 44
Wawasee 53, Whitko 48
Plymouth Sectional
Whitko 65, CMA 57
Whitko 81, Rochester 58
Whitko 63, No. 3 Plymouth 53
No. 8 BENTON CENTRAL (19-4)
*Home games
*Benton Central 62, Tipton 43
Benton Central 70, Rensselaer 44
Benton Central 82, Attica 72
*Benton Central 83, Frontier 72
Benton Central 78, Crawfordsville 56
*Benton Central 82, Seeger 43
*Benton Central 71, Tri-County 52
*Benton Central 75, Delphi 61
Benton Central 78, West Lafayette 67
Lafayette Jeff 65, Benton Central 57
Benton Central 77, Rossville 62
Benton Central 54, Columbus East 51
Carroll (Allen County) 67, Benton Central 62
*Benton Central 78, Twin Lakes 66
Laffayette Central Catholic 59, Benton Central 57
*Benton Central 88, Northmont 47
McCutcheon 76, Benton Central 73
Benton Central 68, Logansport 67
Benton Central 86, Sheridan 55
*Benton Central 61, Harrison 52
Benton Central 75, Rossville 66
Frankfort Sectional
Benton Central 79, Twin Lakes 66
Benton Central 63, West Lafayette 52 [[In-content Ad]]
SOUTH WHITLEY - Second-year Whitko boys basketball coach Steve Pickett doesn't mind being in the underdog role. In fact, it's as if he prefers to be in that position.
After all, it was his Wildcats that were written off in the sectional but put together three solid performances, including a 63-53 win over No. 3 Plymouth, in winning the school's first sectional since 1996.
Whitko enters tonight's 3A regional contest with a 12-11 record. To pick up the school's first regional crown since 1991, when current Tippecanoe Valley coach Bill Patrick took a Steve Nicodemus-led team to the final four, the Wildcats have to beat 19-4 No. 8 Benton Central.
Benton Central coach Pat Skaggs said he isn't interested in knowing that the Wildcats are just above .500. To him, Whitko is 3-0.
"I've had a chance to watch them on tape, they look like a very good team," Skaggs said. "They're a lot better than their 12-11 record shows. To come out of a sectional with Plymouth, Tippecanoe Valley and Rochester is impressive."
Skaggs is in his sixth year with the Bison, winning sectional titles in 1996, '97, '98 and this year, but Benton Central hasn't won a regional championship since the early 1980s.
To win that elusive crown this year, the Bison will rely on a pair of frontliners who combine for nearly 40 points and 15 rebounds per game.
Six-foot-4 junior forward Blake Schoen leads the Bison with 22.4 points and eight rebounds per game. Pickett said former Whitko junior varsity coach and current Carroll head coach Rob Irwin compares Schoen to Nicodemus, a former Divsion I player for Michigan State University.
Complementing Schoen is 6-5 senior forward Jay Dawson, who averages 16.5 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.
Benton Central starts nobody under 6-0 and averages 70-plus points per game.
"We like to get out and go," Skaggs said. "We're gonna try and get out in transition and score."
Said Pickett: "The first thing we have to do is get back on defense. Their transition offense is very good. We have to control the paint and stop their dribble penetration."
For Benton Central to advance to the semistate for the first time in nearly 20 years, the Bison will have to control a multifaceted Whitko team.
Skaggs calls Whitko a "very scary team because of their balance."
Six-foot-2 sophomore Alex Frantz paces Whitko with 15.2 points per game, while senior Josh Hoffman adds 14.2, senior Adam Wendel 11.6, sophomore Ben Garber 7.2, Brad Walpole 6.5 and Brent Goble 4.8.
Any of the aforementioned Wildcats are capable of stepping up on any given night. Against third-ranked Plymouth (19-3) in the sectional championship, it was Garber off the bench scoring 15. In a 23-point win over Rochester in the sectional semifinals, it was Hoffman scoring 22 and Wendel 18. In an eight-point win over CMA in the sectional opener, it was Frantz going for 25 and Wendel for 18.
Whitko averages 62 points per contest and shoots 46 percent from the field as a team.
Whitko is designated as the host school in the scenario, but the game will not be played on the Wildcats' home floor.
Because regionals fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in class basketball, Whitko is too far for Benton Central to travel, according to an IHSAA rule that doesn't allow teams to travel more than 110 miles one way on a school night.
Instead, the game will be played at Northfield, with tip-off set for 7:15 p.m. tonight.
"We want our boys to be as comfortable as possible," Pickett said. "Wherever we play the boys will be competitive. We're gonna have a practice there, but Benton Central is just gonna have a shoot-around before the game."
WHITKO 3A REGIONAL
2000-2001 WHITKO BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG S SPG R RPG
Alex Frantz 135-254 53.1 0-4 0 65-91 71.4 335 15.2 56 2.4 37 1.6 122 5.6
Josh Hoffman 120-256 46.9 0-0 -- 72-92 78.3 312 14.2 56 2.4 35 1.5 151 6.9
Adam Wendel 93-219 42.5 25-69 36.2 44-61 72.1 255 11.6 82 3.6 28 1.4 73 3.3
Ben Garber 55-99 55.6 0-0 -- 41-61 67.2 151 7.2 10 0.4 21 0.9 44 2.1
Brad Walpole 51-142 35.9 12-43 27.9 29-41 70.7 143 6.5 94 4.1 21 0.9 43 1.95
Brent Goble 47-94 50 0-2 0 11-14 78.6 105 4.8 65 2.8 24 1.0 89 4.1
Alan Robbins 10-25 40 3-9 33.3 16-19 84.2 39 3.0 10 0.4 9 0.4 8 0.6
John Woods 15-32 46.9 0-0 -- 11-18 61.1 41 2.1 19 0.8 3 0.1 27 1.35
Whitko 538-1159 46.4 44-141 31.2 306-423 72.3 1426 62.0 415 18.0 197 8.6 575 25.0
Opponents N/A
2000-2001 BENTON CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL STATS
Name FG FG% 3-PT 3-PT% FT FT% PTS PPG A APG R RPG
Blake Schoen 201-347 57.9 6-18 33.3 107-164 63.4 515 22.4 83 3.6 183 7.9
Jay Dawson 147-330 44.5 26-81 32.1 60-81 74.1 380 16.5 97 4.2 116 5.1
Trent Wiley 69-161 42.9 27-73 36.9 48-57 84.2 228 9.9 77 3.3 55 2.4
Tyler Scheror 69-165 41.8 39-97 40.2 38-53 71.7 215 9.3 78 3.4 101 4.4
Ryan Sipe 40-80 50 1-2 50 57-74 77 138 6.0 65 2.8 140 6.1
Mark Muller 22-57 38.6 9-32 28.1 13-24 54.1 66 3.3 36 1.8 20 1.0
Benton Central 592-1241 47.7 126-331 38 349-497 70.2 1659 72.1 476 20.7 732 31.8
Opponents 501-N/A N/A 125-N/A N/A 234-N/A N/A 1361 59.2 N/A N/A N/A N/A
WHITKO WILDCATS (12-11)
*Home games
Columbia City 66, Whitko 41
*Homestead 74, Whitko 63
*Whitko 64, Norwell 59
*Whitko 57, Central Noble 55 OT
Tippecanoe Valley 70, Whitko 60
*Wabash 68, Whitko 60
*Whitko 68, Rochester 54
Whitko 72, Fort Wayne Canterbury 36
*Southwood 68, Whitko 63
*Whitko 81, Churubusco 61
*Whitko 67, Northfield 56
Oak Hill 87, Whitko 57
*Fort Wayne Dwenger 59, Whitko 58
Whitko 64, North Miami 60
*Manchester 68, Whitko 61
*Carroll 90, Whitko 61
Whitko 70, Fort Wayne North 65
NorthWood 70, Whitko 44
Wawasee 53, Whitko 48
Plymouth Sectional
Whitko 65, CMA 57
Whitko 81, Rochester 58
Whitko 63, No. 3 Plymouth 53
No. 8 BENTON CENTRAL (19-4)
*Home games
*Benton Central 62, Tipton 43
Benton Central 70, Rensselaer 44
Benton Central 82, Attica 72
*Benton Central 83, Frontier 72
Benton Central 78, Crawfordsville 56
*Benton Central 82, Seeger 43
*Benton Central 71, Tri-County 52
*Benton Central 75, Delphi 61
Benton Central 78, West Lafayette 67
Lafayette Jeff 65, Benton Central 57
Benton Central 77, Rossville 62
Benton Central 54, Columbus East 51
Carroll (Allen County) 67, Benton Central 62
*Benton Central 78, Twin Lakes 66
Laffayette Central Catholic 59, Benton Central 57
*Benton Central 88, Northmont 47
McCutcheon 76, Benton Central 73
Benton Central 68, Logansport 67
Benton Central 86, Sheridan 55
*Benton Central 61, Harrison 52
Benton Central 75, Rossville 66
Frankfort Sectional
Benton Central 79, Twin Lakes 66
Benton Central 63, West Lafayette 52 [[In-content Ad]]