Warriors topple Granville Spalding, West Harrison
January 17, 2012
The Whiting boys basketball team held off a late rally by Granville Spalding on Tuesday night and put together a furious 4th quarter comeback of their own Friday to win both games during the week. On Tuesday night, the Warriors built a nine point halftime lead and made some clutch free throws down the stretch to beat Granville Spalding by the score of 50-47. Overall, Whiting went to the free throw line 36 times and converted 23 of those tries. "We did a great job of attacking the basketball and the result was us getting to the free throw line a lot. That was probably the difference in the game." said head coach Lee Nelson. Whiting was led in points by senior Bryce Hubert with a career-high 22. He also led the team in steals and assists with 5 and 3, respectively. Senior Reid Linden added 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Wade Martian, making his first start at point guard, contributed 10 points. Hubert and classmate Nate Mikkelsen each pitched in 8 rebounds of their own. Senior Kevin Grell had 3 steals.
On Friday night, the hometown fans were treated to quite a thriller in the Whiting High School Gymnasium. The Warriors battled back from an 11-point deficit after three quarters and used two free throws by Linden with .8 seconds left to upend West Harrison in overtime by the score of 70-66. Whiting struggled from the field those first 3 quarters as they only converted 14 of 44 (32%) of their shots. However, during the 4th quarter and overtime, the Warriors were 12 for 19 (63%) and outscored the Hawkeyes 36-21. "A lot of people will remember some of the big shots the guys made when we needed baskets. But without getting some crucial stops, we would not have been able to make up that much ground. Hats off to our guys, they showed a lot of guts out there." commented Nelson. Whiting was led by freshman Wade Martian's career-high 20 points. He also added 5 assists while only turning it over twice. "I was really happy to see Wade shoot it well but it was more impressive to watch him run the team and take care of the ball." added Nelson. Linden contributed his third straight double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Mikkelsen had a career-high 19 points. Hubert also chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 5 assists and 5 steals. "We hit so many clutch shots the last ten minutes that it's almost hard to believe. We talked a lot this past week about making plays. I think it's safe to say we had a bunch of kids step up and make some huge plays." said Nelson.
The Warriors return to action at home on Tuesday night against Logan Magnolia. This game will be parent's night where we will honor our seniors and their parents for their dedication over the past years. The girls' game will begin at 6, seniors will be honored afterwards, and the boys' game will begin after that.
