OSSIAN – After a first-round sectiona victory over Bellmont Tuesday, Whitko's season came to a close Friday night after falling 62-40 to the Heritage Patriots in Class 3A boys basketball action at Norwell High School. The Wildcats were in a hole early, with the Patriots leading 20-9 after the first quarter. In the second stanza, the Wildcat's defense tightened up, holding Heritage to just five points and narrowing the deficit to seven points at the half. “The second quarter wasn’t really adjustments, we just actually did what we were just trying to do,” said first-year Whitko coach Scott Wessel. “That was the game plan all along. First quarter was just nerves and some of that anxiety we had on Tuesday night (against Bellmont) and it kind of showed.” The Wildcats were then outscored 21-7 by the Patriots in the third quarter. Senior Trey Weber had a team-high 10 points for the Wildcats, and fellow senior Alex Stoddard followed up with nine. Heritage was led by Connor Sheehan's 16 points and Wil Knapke's 14. The Patriots' defense forced Whitko into poor situations, as the Wildcats committed 22 turnovers over the course of the game. “Our points per possession was not very good tonight," Wessel said. “You turn it over 22 times, that’s 22 times you don’t get to shoot and 22 times that they do. That’s pretty scary.” Friday also marked the last time that Weber, Stoddard, Gabe Powell and Stephen Bennett will don a Wildcats basketball uniform. “These seniors worked hard, they did what we asked,” Wessel said. “They’re great kids and I’m very interested in seeing what happens in their future.” In Wessel's first campaign at Whitko, the Wildcats finished 6-16 but he is ready to get next season's group prepared. “Our younger guys have a long way to go, and I think they know that,” said Wessel. “We’re rebuilding this program from the ground up. We’ll take a couple weeks off, let them get fresh and I’ll get fresh. Then we’ll get right back at it for next year.” Heritage (9-13) advanced to the sectional championship against host Norwell (16-6) Saturday night after the Knights defeated Mississinewa 69-51 earlier Friday.
