Wolves start fast to end Norse season early

While Whitehall’s shots were rolling out of the basket, Elmwood/Plum City’s were going in as the Wolves built up a double-digit lead early on their way to upset the Norse in Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association regional semifinal play last Thursday.

The Norse were the fourth seed and earned a bye in the opening round of their Division Four tournament. E/PC was the fifth seed, coming off of a win over Cadott. 

Whitehall scored first on free throws by Luke Beighley, but E/PC responded with three straight three pointers, one by Luke Webb and two by Travis Seipel. 

The Norse were getting open shots and several looked like they were going to go in, but the ball rolled off the rim and the Wolves were quick to the glass, limiting the Norse to one-shot possessions. E/PC finished with 40 rebounds in the game, including 17 by Webb.  

Michael Spare gave Whitehall a spark with a three-point play, converting a layup while being fouled then making the ensuing free throw with 11:27 left, but the momentum didn’t last.

After Spare made the free throw, the Wolves pushed the ball down the floor. Dayne Whipple got to the basket with two Whitehall defenders challenging. His shot rolled off the rim where Webb was able to grab it and put it back with a two-handed dunk that hushed the Whitehall crowd.

Christian Martin then scored to put the Wolves ahead 13-5. Isaac Skoyen responded with a basket for the Norse with about 10 minutes left, but they’d only score once more before halftime.

The Wolves went on an 11-0 run with Whipple scoring seven points, including a three pointer with 3:10 left that put his team ahead 24-7.

The Norse got one last basket in before the half, but they went into the locker room trailing 24-9.

Whitehall had numerous comeback wins on its resume this season, including a recent win in which they trailed Blair-Taylor by 12 with 12 minutes left. The Wolves wouldn’t let it happen, however.

While Whitehall’s offense picked up in the second half. The Wolves were still able to keep a sizable lead. They led 31-16 with 10 minutes left before extending the lead to 19 on a couple of occasions. 

The Norse weren’t able to put much of a dent into the E/PC advantage as their season ended with a 54-37 loss. E/PC went on to lose to top-seeded Spring Valley in the regional final. 

Devon McCune led Whitehall’s second half effort with 17 of his 19 points in the final frame. The rest of Whitehall’s roster was relatively quiet. Spare was second on the team with five points, Beighley scored four, Seth Lambeck finished with three and both Ian Pank and Jonathan Thorn scored two. 

Webb led the Wolves with 18 points while Seipel scored 11 and Whipple finished with 10.

The Norse won the Dairyland Conference Large Division with a 14-1 record, though the only team remaining in the tournament from the conference is Blair-Taylor. Whitehall went 19-5 overall on the season, they will graduate five players, including three starters.