Whitko Takes Charge Out Of Carroll
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Losers of eight-straight to the Carroll Chargers (7-9), and nine of 11 overall, the Whitko Wildcats (7-8) snapped that streak Tuesday with a 53-48 victory.
Whitko's previous win over Carroll came during the 1985-86 season, with Bill Patrick at the helm of the program.
Current Whitko coach Rob Irwin was actually a part of six of those Carroll wins over the Wildcats, having coached the Chargers between the 1995 and 2005.
However, beating his former employer didn't seem to be a motivating factor for him.
"I'm just happy for our kids," he said. "I've been gone long enough. Heck, that school's different and I don't even know my way around there anymore."
Along with breaking a losing streak to Carroll, Tuesday night's game also had some historical significance, as senior Logan Irwin went in 28 points shy of 2,000.
Being friends with current Carroll coach Marty Beasley, Rob Irwin knew his son's chances of getting to 28 were slim against the possession-oriented Chargers.
As it turned out, father knew best and Logan finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and a 4-of-8 effort at the free-throw line.
"He's doing what we're asking him to do," Rob said about Logan. "We want him to take shots and make things happen. He shot the ball so well earlier this month and in late December. He just shot it out of his mind and shot so well. Now, he's shooting it O.K., but he's not dropping shots like he was before. His percentages are coming back down to where you know he's human again. But he is doing a much better job of setting guys up for easy baskets and having confidence in them."
Setting up guys, Logan finished with four assists, but the attention paid to him helped other Wildcats get open looks, as they hit a total of 10 three-pointers in the game.
Junior Trey Weber went 4 of 5 from behind the three-point arc, while senior Colin Nicodemus went 2 of 2 from three-point land, making them at a crucial point in the game.
With Carroll freshman Chandler White sitting out the final 13 minutes of the first half with two fouls, he came out strong in the second half.
Reinserted into the game, the freshman who's being heavily recruited by D-I schools, scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the half, giving his team a 30-24 lead.
Following three-pointers made by each side, Carroll led 33-27, but then Nicodemus made two-straight, tying the game at 33-33 with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter.
"Usually, Colin's not allowed to shoot unless the ball is coming from inside-out," Rob Irwin said. "He's confident enough in himself and he just competes. That's why I like him and that's why he gets to play."
Senior Jordan Sims ended the quarter with a three-pointer, handing Whitko a 36-33 lead, and rounding out Whitko's quarter of 6-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
"We had guys step up," Rob Irwin said. "Colin Nicodemus hit two and the other guys hit big shots when we needed them."
Following White's 10-point first quarter, he went just 1 of 4 in the fourth, leaving the 6-foot-2 guard with 14 points on the night.
"Defensively, I thought we did a nice job of getting White shut down," the Whitko coach said. "It was hard for him."
With White bottled up, the closest Carroll came in the fourth was 43-42 with 4:52 remaining, but four-straight Whitko points gave the home team enough breathing room.
"We're getting better," Rob Irwin said. "We're way better than we were in November and December."
After getting the season off to a 1-5 start, Whitko now has a chance to even its record Friday at home against North Miami.
The game will also present Logan Irwin a great chance to score 12 points, becoming the 41st player in Indiana boys basketball history to score 2,000.
"Hopefully he'll get it Friday," his coach/father said. "I'd like for him to get it at home and not on the road. It would be nice for him to get it here in front of our people. I don't brag on him very often, but the kid deserves to do something here, and that's something not very many people have done."
WHITKO 53, CARROLL 48
C 6 9 18 15 - 48
W 10 8 18 17 - 53
Whitko - Logan Irwin 5-15 4-8 16, Keaton Irwin 1-2 0-0 3, Alex Stoddard 1-3 1-3 3, Trey Weber 4-5 0-0 12, Gabe Powell 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Sims 2-5 2-2 7, Colin Nicodemus 3-3 0-0 8, Kolten Krull 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 18-36 7-13 53.
Carroll - Chandler White 6-14 0-0 14, Tanner Ginder 0-2 3-3 3, Jonathan McKeeman 1-10 3-4 6, Adam Freiburger 2-6 3-3 7, Jon Wenger 4-6 0-0 8, Tony Orr 1-3 0-0 2, Alex Hammond 1-2 0-0 3, Keller Gutierrez 2-3 1-2 5. Totals 17-46 10-12 48.
Three-point goals - Whitko 10-27 (Weber 4, L. Irwin 2, Nicodemus 2, K. Irwin, Sims), Carroll 4-16 (White 2, McKeeman, Hammond); Team Fouls - Whitko 11, Carroll 16; Turnovers - Whitko 15, Carroll 11; Rebounds - Whitko 22 (Stoddard 6), Carroll 23 (Freiburger 9); Assists - Whitko 9 (L. Irwin 4), Carroll 4; Steals - Whitko 2, Carroll 9 (Gutierrez 3); Blocks - Whitko 2, Carroll 0; Records: Whitko 7-8, Carroll 7-9.
JV - Carroll 35, Whitko 14
Whitko JV - Michael Carroll 4, Stephen Bennett 4, Dylan Cumberland 2, Devin Gerding 2, Tanner Hughes 2[[In-content Ad]]
Losers of eight-straight to the Carroll Chargers (7-9), and nine of 11 overall, the Whitko Wildcats (7-8) snapped that streak Tuesday with a 53-48 victory.
Whitko's previous win over Carroll came during the 1985-86 season, with Bill Patrick at the helm of the program.
Current Whitko coach Rob Irwin was actually a part of six of those Carroll wins over the Wildcats, having coached the Chargers between the 1995 and 2005.
However, beating his former employer didn't seem to be a motivating factor for him.
"I'm just happy for our kids," he said. "I've been gone long enough. Heck, that school's different and I don't even know my way around there anymore."
Along with breaking a losing streak to Carroll, Tuesday night's game also had some historical significance, as senior Logan Irwin went in 28 points shy of 2,000.
Being friends with current Carroll coach Marty Beasley, Rob Irwin knew his son's chances of getting to 28 were slim against the possession-oriented Chargers.
As it turned out, father knew best and Logan finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and a 4-of-8 effort at the free-throw line.
"He's doing what we're asking him to do," Rob said about Logan. "We want him to take shots and make things happen. He shot the ball so well earlier this month and in late December. He just shot it out of his mind and shot so well. Now, he's shooting it O.K., but he's not dropping shots like he was before. His percentages are coming back down to where you know he's human again. But he is doing a much better job of setting guys up for easy baskets and having confidence in them."
Setting up guys, Logan finished with four assists, but the attention paid to him helped other Wildcats get open looks, as they hit a total of 10 three-pointers in the game.
Junior Trey Weber went 4 of 5 from behind the three-point arc, while senior Colin Nicodemus went 2 of 2 from three-point land, making them at a crucial point in the game.
With Carroll freshman Chandler White sitting out the final 13 minutes of the first half with two fouls, he came out strong in the second half.
Reinserted into the game, the freshman who's being heavily recruited by D-I schools, scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the half, giving his team a 30-24 lead.
Following three-pointers made by each side, Carroll led 33-27, but then Nicodemus made two-straight, tying the game at 33-33 with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter.
"Usually, Colin's not allowed to shoot unless the ball is coming from inside-out," Rob Irwin said. "He's confident enough in himself and he just competes. That's why I like him and that's why he gets to play."
Senior Jordan Sims ended the quarter with a three-pointer, handing Whitko a 36-33 lead, and rounding out Whitko's quarter of 6-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
"We had guys step up," Rob Irwin said. "Colin Nicodemus hit two and the other guys hit big shots when we needed them."
Following White's 10-point first quarter, he went just 1 of 4 in the fourth, leaving the 6-foot-2 guard with 14 points on the night.
"Defensively, I thought we did a nice job of getting White shut down," the Whitko coach said. "It was hard for him."
With White bottled up, the closest Carroll came in the fourth was 43-42 with 4:52 remaining, but four-straight Whitko points gave the home team enough breathing room.
"We're getting better," Rob Irwin said. "We're way better than we were in November and December."
After getting the season off to a 1-5 start, Whitko now has a chance to even its record Friday at home against North Miami.
The game will also present Logan Irwin a great chance to score 12 points, becoming the 41st player in Indiana boys basketball history to score 2,000.
"Hopefully he'll get it Friday," his coach/father said. "I'd like for him to get it at home and not on the road. It would be nice for him to get it here in front of our people. I don't brag on him very often, but the kid deserves to do something here, and that's something not very many people have done."
WHITKO 53, CARROLL 48
C 6 9 18 15 - 48
W 10 8 18 17 - 53
Whitko - Logan Irwin 5-15 4-8 16, Keaton Irwin 1-2 0-0 3, Alex Stoddard 1-3 1-3 3, Trey Weber 4-5 0-0 12, Gabe Powell 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Sims 2-5 2-2 7, Colin Nicodemus 3-3 0-0 8, Kolten Krull 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 18-36 7-13 53.
Carroll - Chandler White 6-14 0-0 14, Tanner Ginder 0-2 3-3 3, Jonathan McKeeman 1-10 3-4 6, Adam Freiburger 2-6 3-3 7, Jon Wenger 4-6 0-0 8, Tony Orr 1-3 0-0 2, Alex Hammond 1-2 0-0 3, Keller Gutierrez 2-3 1-2 5. Totals 17-46 10-12 48.
Three-point goals - Whitko 10-27 (Weber 4, L. Irwin 2, Nicodemus 2, K. Irwin, Sims), Carroll 4-16 (White 2, McKeeman, Hammond); Team Fouls - Whitko 11, Carroll 16; Turnovers - Whitko 15, Carroll 11; Rebounds - Whitko 22 (Stoddard 6), Carroll 23 (Freiburger 9); Assists - Whitko 9 (L. Irwin 4), Carroll 4; Steals - Whitko 2, Carroll 9 (Gutierrez 3); Blocks - Whitko 2, Carroll 0; Records: Whitko 7-8, Carroll 7-9.
JV - Carroll 35, Whitko 14
Whitko JV - Michael Carroll 4, Stephen Bennett 4, Dylan Cumberland 2, Devin Gerding 2, Tanner Hughes 2[[In-content Ad]]
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