Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WABASH - Facts were facts Saturday night. Fact one - Neither Whitko or Wabash had won a boys basketball game all season. Fact two - The hungrier, more prepared team would win this matchup. Fact three - Whitko proved to be hungrier for a win as it cruised to a 84-46 defeat of Wabash.
And cruise the Wildcats did, as they outplayed their opponent in every aspect of the game. The Wildcats won in fine fashion thanks to their strong teamwork. Every player who dressed for Whitko scored.
"I was extremely happy to see the team effort," Whitko head coach Steve Pickett said. "I believe everyone scored."
Shooting percentage played a huge part in the success of Whitko's offensive strike. The Wildcats shot 51 percent from the floor, compared to a dismal 30 percent for the Apaches. Whitko also nailed 23 of 29 shots from the charity stripe. Wabash was 18 of 25 from the free throw line.
Wabash seemed fired up as starting lineups were introduced. The Wildcats sat calm calm as they listened to Pickett give instructions during the introduction.
"We were preparing ourselves to play with more confidence and aggressiveness, and we came out with a stifling defense," Pickett said.
When Pickett said that Whitko's defense started strong, that was an understatement. The Wildcats held Wabash to four first quarter points, while their offense tacked on 18 in the first frame. At intermission the scoreboard read 41-19 in favor of the Wildcats.
"I don't care who you play or how good they are, it takes a team effort to hold an opponent to four points in one quarter," Pickett said. "Wabash is a good team and we had to work hard to match their intensity."
Although the Apaches came out of halftime hitting three shots in a row, the Wildcats would not back down and answered with the same intensity they were given.
"This week during practice we worked on conditioning," Pickett said. "It is nice to see improvement, but the players need to see wins to boost their confidence."
The Wildcats outrebounded the Apaches 40-22. They dished out six assists, stole the ball seven times and forced 16 total turnovers.
"I'm happy for the kids, and they have really worked hard to get to this first win," Pickett said.
Whitko (1-7) will face Bishop Dwenger Friday.
WHITKO 84, WABASH 46
Whitko (1-8) 18 23 14 29 - 84
Wabash (0-11) 4 15 13 14 - 46
Whitko FG FT A S R Pts.
Henderson (G) 7-12 6-7 3 6 6 23
Wendel (G) 1-3 4-6 3 1 1 6
Howard (F) 4-8 3-4 0 2 5 11
Ryan (F) 3-8 0-0 0 0 3 8
Goble (C) 2-3 0-0 2 0 2 4
Manuel 3-8 1-2 0 0 11 7
Waller 3-6 3-4 0 0 4 11
Frantz 1-1 0-0 1 0 3 2
Hoffman 2-2 4-4 1 0 2 8
Clausen 1-2 2-2 0 0 3 4
Totals 27-53 23-29 10 9 40 84
Wabash FG FT A S R Pts.
Palascak (F) 0-2 2-2 0 0 4 2
Ripple (F) 3-12 6-8 1 1 5 13
Lundy (G) 2-7 1-2 0 1 1 6
Strack (G) 1-2 0-0 1 0 3 2
Landis (G) 2-9 4-5 0 0 5 8
Smith 1-2 1-2 0 0 2 3
Palmer 4-8 2-4 2 0 2 10
Oswalt 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 2
Totals 13-43 18-25 4 2 22 46
Three-pointers - Wabash 2-14, Whitko 7-11 (Henderson 3-5, Waller 2-3, Ryan 2-3). Fouls - Wabash 24, Whitko 22. Fouled out - Ripple, Palascak. Turnovers - Wabash 16, Whitko 16.
