SOUTH WHITLEY – Class 3A No. 2 NorthWood cashed in at the charity strip, paving the way for a 64-50 win at Whitko in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Panthers were 24 of 29 at the free throw line in the 14-point win, while Whitko was 8 of 8, all of which were made by junior Nate Walpole. Walpole scored 24 points for Whitko, though he struggled through a 7-of-23 performance from the field, including a 2-of-12 effort from the arc. Devon Adkins and River West scored 11 points each for the Wildcats, who were 17 of 54 from the field overall and 8 of 30 from three-point range. Grace College recruit Braxton Linville scored a game-high 29 points for NorthWood, including a 14-of-14 effort at the free throw line. Linville also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out three assists and made two steals. Vincent Miranda and Dakiyron Fox scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the win. Fox added 14 rebounds to his stat line to finish with a double-double. The Panthers outrebounded Whitko 37-18. With the victory, NorthWood improved to 20-2 and extended its win streak to seven. Whitko saw its six-game win streak snapped, as the Wildcats fell to 13-9. Whitko will play Bremen at 7 p.m. Tuesday in 2A Sectional 35 at Westview High School. NorthWood will host Sectional 21 and play West Noble Tuesday at 6 p.m. NORTHWOOD 64, WHITKO 50 NW 15 13 18 18 – 64 Whi 10 10 19 11 – 50 NorthWood – Braxton Linville 7-12 14-14 29, Luke Zurcher 2-4 4, Vincent Miranda 5-12 4-5 15, Chad Sellers 0-0 0-0 0, Dakiyron Fox 4-6 5-9 13, Trey Billinski 1-5 1-1 3. Totals 19-39 24-29 64. Whitko – Tanner Gaff 1-3 0-0 2, Devon Adkins 4-11 0-0 11, Roger Helbig 1-1 0-0 2, Robby Owsley 0-0 0-0 0, Nate Walpole 7-23 8-8 24, River West 4-15 0-0 11, Spencer Sroufe 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-54 8-8 50. Three-pointers – NorthWood 2 (Linville, Miranda), Whitko 8 (Adkins 3, West 3, Walpole 2); Rebounds – NorthWood 37 (Fox 14), Whitko 18 (Walpole 5); Turnovers – NorthWood 13, Whitko 7; Fouls – NorthWood 13, Whitko 18; Fouled out – none; Records: NorthWood 20-2, Whitko 13-9
