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Whippets hand Edgerton boys first loss

EDGERTON — By John Barry

jbarry@gazetteextra.com

EDGERTON

Edgerton High’s boys basketball team got the exact type of game it hoped for against Whitewater here Tuesday night.

Slow and deliberate, with each possession pivotal.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, the end result was a different matter.

Miles Hookstead scored 22 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as he led the Whippets to a 41-37 Rock Valley North win.

With the win, Whitewater (6-3, 4-1) knocked Edgerton (6-1, 3-1) from the unbeaten ranks and out of first place in the Rock North. Evansville and East Troy are tied at 4-0.

Edgerton’s Bryan Gregory, who came into the game averaging better than 25 points a game, was held to a season-low 11.

Whitewater coach Hugh Gnatzig said the Whippets expected a low-scoring game.

“We tried to go, and we can do both,” Gnatzig said of attempting to push the tempo early in the game. “But Edgerton plays this way, and is very well-coached. We had to be patient, knock down some shots and make our free throws, and we were able to do that, for the most part.

“We’ll enjoy this win, but it’s not like we won the Super Bowl. It’s a long season, and we can’t get too high on this one.”

Edgerton, No. 7 in the AP Division 2 state ratings, took its last lead with 3:29 left to play on Gregory’s put-back off of his missed shot. The Whippets responded on two free throws from Hookstead with 2:36 left to take the lead for good at 35-34.

After Gregory’s short jumper in the lane rimmed in and out with 1:25 left, Whitewater’s Tony Bilderback came up with the play of the game. The 6-foot-3 junior slashed his way to the basket and converted a three-point play with 1:11 left to push the lead to 38-34.

Edgerton cut the lead to three on Josh Eastman’s three-point basket with 17 seconds left, but he missed another three with four seconds left that would’ve tied the game. The Whippets’ David Shears sealed the deal with a free throw with a second left.

Crimson Tide coach Mark Wanless said his team had its chances.

“We had some good looks all night, but Whitewater’s a good defensive team, and they made stops when they had to,” Wanless said. “Whitewater adjusted well and had a good combination of quickness and strength down low.

“And they were making their free throws, and that forced us to play catch-up.”

Bilderback added 12 points for the Whippets, but it was the solid 6-4, 240-pound Hookstead who was the difference-maker. The senior scored all 10 of Whitewater’s points in the first quarter, and 11 in the fourth with the game on the line.

Eastman tied Gregory for team-high scoring honors with 11.

“We helped everybody in our conference by beating them (Edgerton) because they were undefeated,” Gnatzig said. “Now, let’s hope we can keep this string going.”

WHITEWATER 41, EDGERTON 37

Whitewater (41)—Hookstead, 7-8-22; Bilderback, 4-4-12; Vohs, 2-0-5; Haskins, 0-1-1; Shears, 0-1-1. Totals: 13-14-41.

Edgerton (37)—B. Gregory, 3-5-11; Perry, 1-2-4; Palet, 2-3-7; Eastman, 4-2-11; A. Gregory, 1-1-4. Totals: 11-13-37.

Whitewater 10 6 11 14—41

Edgerton 6 8 10 13—37

Three-point goals—Whitewater 1 (Vohs), Edgerton 2 (Eastman, A. Gregory). Free throws missed—Whitewater 4, Edgerton 6. Total fouls—Whitewater 15, Edgerton 14.

Junior varsity—Edgerton 32, Whitewater 29.