One up, one down for WHS boys basketball team
By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
Coming into the week at 14-1, the defending Division 3 state champion Whitewater High School had two different types of games to see where the team was at before the final stretch of the 2014-15 season. The first came against an in-conference foe, in Jefferson, on Jan. 29.
Junior forward Myriama Smith-Traore made her presence known in this one, to say the least. Smith-Traore ended the game with 14 points, 23 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
Her triple-double led the Whippets in its 68-51 win, a game in which the team was allowed to coast through the second half, much like a lot of Whitewater’s games this season. By half, the team led, 33-19.
Allison Heckert added 14 points and contributed eight rebounds as a guard, and Rebekah Schumacher had 14 points, four rebounds and five assists in the victory. As a team, the Whippets committed 25 turnovers compared to its 17 assists.
“Defensively we need to step up a couple of notches, as we had several break-downs that shouldn’t be occurring at this point in the season,” Whippets head coach Judy Harms said. “Jefferson did a nice job battling tonight, and the intensity they brought to the court is a good tune-up for us before hosting Watertown in a non-conference match-up on Monday.”
On Monday, Whitewater hosted Watertown, a Division 1 opponent. Despite the supposed disadvantage division-wise, it was another game the Whippets controlled from the get-go.
By halftime, the team led Watertown, 29-16, and then the Whippets outscored Watertown by 17, en route to its 63-33 win. Smith-Traore led once again with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
She didn’t record a triple-double this time around, but had three assists, two steals and two blocked shots to add to her double-double. Ten different Whippets scored and recorded a rebound in the 30-point victory.
“We did a very nice job running the floor, taking care of the ball, sharing the ball, and overall playing together as a team,” Harms said. “Watertown is coached by Jason Bleck, a WHS graduate. Jason is doing a tremendous job in his first year, and Watertown is a team to keep your eye on in the future.”
The Whippets are now 16-1 this season with five games remaining in the regular season. The team’s next game is slated for a 7:15 p.m. start on Thursday at Edgerton.
The Whippets are riding a 14-game winning streak while Edgerton is 10-7 and are 5-6 in its previous 11 games.
On Jan. 28, the first of two games for the Whitewater High School boys basketball team this past week, the team took on Palmyra-Eagle (5-10) at home. The Whippets entered with a 4-9 record, and behind its home crowd, were able to muster out its fifth win of the season.
It took a while for Whitewater to gain control of the game, but once the second half began, there wasn’t much looking back. Entering halftime, the Panthers led, 24-19.
In that second half, the Whippets would outscore the Panthers, 32-20, leading to the 51-44 victory. Bryce Parrish would lead all scorers with 15, while Brodie Runez added 10.
Statistically on offense the two teams nearly mirrored each other. Whitewater made 16 field goals to Palmyra-Eagle’s 13, the Whippets made 15 free throws compared to the Panthers’ 13 and the Panthers edged out the Whippets from behind the arc, making five 3-pointers compared to the home team’s four.
The Whippets would then hit the road on Feb. 2 to play Beloit Turner and no statistics were found regarding the game. The final score was Beloit Turner 59, Whitewater 39.
The team’s next game is scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. start on Friday at Jefferson High School. Jefferson owns a 3-12 record on the season and is also coming off a loss to Beloit Turner, 77-52.
