Norse boys win two in Dairyland Conference play
With one close win and one blow out, the Whitehall boys basketball team extended its winning streak to four last week. The Norse needed overtime, but they got a big play in the extra period of a 68-67 home win over Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran last week Monday. On Thursday, Whitehall took a 31-point lead into halftime of their 63-44 win over Gilmanton. The wins put Whitehall at 9-5 on the season and they sit at 6-3 in Dairyland Conference play, behind Melrose-Midnoro (7-2) and Alma Center Lincoln (9-1) in the Large Division. After a non-conference game against Arcadia this week Monday, the Norse were at home against Alma/Pepin on Tuesday and will host AC Lincoln on Friday. They'll be off for more than a week after that as their next game will at at Eau Claire Regis next week Saturday.
Whitehall 68 ECI 67 - A three-point play off of a steal put the Norse ahead for good in overtime. With the game tied at 61, Jonathan Thorn swiped the ball away for a steal and raced down the court for a layup while being fouled. The ensuing free-throw put the Norse ahead 64-61 with 2:07 remaining. Devon McCune added two free throws with less than a minute left before Brandon Dick blocked a shot to essentially clinch the win for the Norse. Whitehall got off to a slow start, trailing 10-4 in the first couple of minutes, but they battled back to get within two before another run put the Lancers ahead 18-12. Whitehall responded with a 10-1 run to take a 22-19 advantage, but the Lancers surged ahead with a 28-27 lead at halftime. The teams went back-and-fourth throughout the second half. At one point, Whitehall had a five-point lead, but the Lancers came back to tie the game by the end of regulation. Whitehall struggled to stop ECI's Ryan Zimmerman, who scored 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including five three pointers. It was a more balanced attack for the Norse as they shot roughly 42 percent from the field. Thorn led the team with 21 points while Dick aded 19, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Both McCune and James Breska had 13 points and Isaac Skoyen and Ian Pank both scored one. Breska and Skoyen also had eight rebounds as the Norse finished with a 45-25 advantage on the glass.
Whitehall (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) - McCune 5/15-3/4-5-13 Thorn 8/13-3/5-4-21 Breska 4/11-2/4-8-13 Carroll 0/1-0/0-2-0 Skoyen 0/2-1/2-8-1 Pank 0/5-1/2-4-1 Dick 9/15-1/3-14-19
Whitehall 63 GHS 44 - It was all Whitehall early as the Norse dominated the first half and came away with the convincing win. Whitehall was firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor as they put up 42 points while holding the Panthers to 11. The Norse scored the first 20 points in the game and led 40-6 near the end of the first half before the Panthers cut the lead to 31. With the game well in hand, Whitehall let up a bit in the second half, but the win was never in question. It was a balanced attack for Whitehall's offense as Dick led the team with 14 points. Pank added nine while McCune, Skoyen and Breska all scored eight, Sonsalla and Thorn had six points apiece and Luke Beighley finished with four. The Norse shot 51 percent from the field in the game.
Whitehall (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-points) - McCune 3/5-2/4-10-8 Sonsalla 2/3-2/4-3-6 Thorn 2/5-0/0-0-6 Breska 3/6-1/2-2-8 Carroll 0/1-0/0-1-0 Spare 0/1-0/0-1-0 Skoyen 4/8-0/0-3-8 Schneider 0/1-0/0-2-0 Beighley 1/3-1/2-5-4 Pank 4/9-1/1-4-9 Dick 6/7-2/3-6-14
