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In the regular season finale for both teams, the Whitko and Lakeland Christian boys basketball teams looked to build a little momentum before beginning postseason play next week. Playing at home for the final time this season, the Wildcats started strong and never looked back, shooting lights out in a 53-26 win.
“Getting a win on the last game of the season, last game at home for our seniors, it’s huge for these guys’ confidence,” Whitko head coach Drew Benedict said. “The last thing you want is to be feeling bad the weekend before the tournament. Hopefully seeing some shots go down tonight gives these guys the confidence to keep it going next week.”
The two teams appeared to be very evenly matched as the first four minutes of the game went by. Both the Cougars and Wildcats began the night emphasizing the defensive end, as points were hard to come by for each side in the early going. The two teams responded to this with long, methodical possessions that saw all five players on the court touch the ball in search of an open look.
After taking a few minutes to get on the board, Whitko was able to catch fire after doing so. The Wildcats had four different players score their first five baskets, including two from beyond the arc. The Cougars experienced the opposite. Lakeland Christian began the game hot, scoring four quick points, but ended the period in the midst of a long drought. As Ethan Yates buried a three with just six seconds left for the home side, Whitko took a 13-4 advantage into the second.
On the other end, the Cougars were really struggling offensively. A big part of that was the defensive pressure their opponents were applying, but there were moments where the LCA offense just looked out of sync. While Whitko was raining down shots from deep, the visitors had gone nearly 10 minutes without a point before Jaden Moneyheffer finally got a layup to fall near the midway point of the second.
The Wildcats continued to spread the love around as the first half neared its conclusion, playing a brand of team basketball that was incredibly easy on the eyes. If a player didn’t have the ball, they were cutting to get open or setting a screen to give someone else a good look. The group’s unselfishness was a big reason they led 23-8 with two minutes left in the half. Chandler Cox added four points in the final minute before the break to give him six for the game and his team a 27-8 edge.
“I think the offense was terrific tonight. We got stagnant at times but I really liked that we were able to fight through it,” Benedict said. “That’s been a problem for us so I’m really happy with how we responded tonight. Shots started to fall early, and that only helps your confidence.
The Cougars began the second half by playing much better defensively. While the Wildcats still held onto a sizable advantage, the home side was not adding on to it like it had done in the first half. LCA was playing aggressively, forcing turnovers and making sure nothing came easy for Whitko.
Offensively though, it was still not coming easy for the visitors. Despite giving up just seven points over the first five minutes of the third, LCA still found themselves down by 20. Aaron Gause, the team’s leading scorer, had been held in check to this point, scoring just two points and being held scoreless in the first half. Whitko was guarding him closely, and seemed content to let his teammates try to beat them.
Senior Aaron Gause of LCA looks to score over Whitko's Crew Ebbinghouse (L) and Davin Day...Nieter
“Our defense is something we need to hang our hat on. When our guys buy in on the defensive end, they’re long, they’re athletic and they play hard,” Benedict said. “We can be a pretty hard team to score against, and that’s something we’re going to have to continue into sectionals.”
After Cooper Laukhuf buried a three at the buzzer, the Wildcats had grown their lead by two points and now led by 21 with just eight minutes to play.
Both offenses began the fourth quarter in a rhythm, leading to the most fast-paced action of the night. Trying to make up a large deficit, the Cougars were playing quickly. Gause and Moneyheffer led the charge as the team attempted to come back. Whitko, however, had no intentions of letting them. Seeing their opponents speed things up, the Wildcats elected to do the same, and it ended up working in their favor. Still getting contributions from all over the court, the home side ended up extending their lead even further.
With a little under three minutes left in the game, Cox and Manny Dittlinger became the first two players to reach double figures scoring. Not long after that, starters from both teams were removed.
Whitko (8-14) will take on Adams Central in the first round of the sectional tournament at Bluffton on Tuesday. Lakeland Christian (6-17) will take on host school Bethany Christian in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday.
“We fouled them a lot when we played earlier this season. We’ll have to defend smartly,” Benedict said. “Another thing that’s going to be huge is our team rebounding. We didn’t do that too well at the start of the year, but I think we’re doing a much better job now. We need to execute in every phase.”
