By Daniel Schoettler
Correspondent
The Whitewater High School boys basketball team has started off its season 1-1 after close games with both Marshall and McFarland. The team started off with a 57-56 win against Marshall on last Tuesday before falling 56-55 on Thursday night against McFarland.
“A young team as far as varsity experience and we’ve had two one point games,” Whippets Boys Basketball coach Dan Gnatzig said. “Figuring out how to get over that hump and hit a big shot.”
In Tuesday’s win over Marshall, the Whippets were led in scoring by senior Logan Rasmussen with 20 points. Junior Bryce Parrish had 13 in the win, while Daniel Fuller had 11.
Marshall was led in scoring by Reece Leistikow with 31. Adam Wehking contributed 14 for Marshall in the loss.
The Whippets were in another close contest Thursday as they fell to McFarland late as the Spartans only had the lead four separate times in the game. Early in the game, the team got off to a 14-8 run after some early baskets from Fuller and Parrish. McFarland kept it close with Whitewater for most of the first half cutting the Whippets lead twice to a one-point lead with one of those being at the half.
The second half was a back and forth affair with the biggest lead of the half belonging to the Whippets at 45-39 after a Parrish basket. Late in the game, Rasmussen hit a basket to make it 54-53 before McFarland’s Brandon Acker hit a three pointer to take the lead 56-54.
The Whippets were able to get a Connor Laue free throw at the line to make it 56-55. With the chance of putting the game away, McFarland’s Sam Hanson missed four late attempts at the free throw line.
After both series of attempts at the line, the Whippets had a chance to come up with a late basket at the end to get them the win, coming up short both times.
“We had a play set up to push the floor, and it would have probably been better if the ball went in the basket, so we were more organized,” Gnatzig said.
The Whippets were led in scoring by Laue with 16, Rasmussen had 15, while Parrish and Fuller added 13 and 11.
“When Connor takes shots in rhythm, he does some really nice things, and sometimes he gets just a little out of sync,” Gnatzig said. “As a senior, and for him never being the position he was in with all those minutes I thought he did well.”
Gnatzig also said he was proud of Rasmussen for having two good nights despite not having any experience on the varsity level.
McFarland’s leading scorer from the Dec. 1 game was Sam Hanson with 22. Brandon Acker also had 12 for the Spartans in the win.
