Whiteoak uses 3rd-quarter surge to defeat rival Fairfield
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MOWRYSTOWN — Following halftime, the Whiteoak Wildcats looked like a whole different team in the third quarter than they did in the first half. As head coach Blake Kibler said following the game, what his team was trying to do in the first half was to get into “the flow of things,” but once that third quarter arrived, it was a whole new ball game for the home Wildcats.
That third frame saw Whiteoak (2-1, 3-1) outscore their Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival 14-5 in the quarter, and that outbreak of scoring eventually led to the 50-38 SHAC victory, Friday in front of a packed gymnasium.
The atmosphere was electric from the tip-off of the game as both fan bases were out in full force in the Highland County showdown, as the first half was pretty well even. Whiteoak led at the end of the first frame at 11-10, but it was Fairfield in the lead at halftime by a 22-21 score, following a 12-10 second frame.
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Then came the third frame, and the entire flow of the game changed in favor of the Wildcats as they were first to score in the third with a 3-pointer by Zach Rand to take the lead at 24-22. The Lions answered quickly with a jumper by James Bentley at the 5:56 mark for a tied score at 24 points each.
Whiteoak regained at the lead with a layup by Deavin Cumberland at the 5:23 mark of the third, and following a timeout, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run from the basket from Cumberland to the 5:38 mark of the quarter for a 35-24 lead.
All of the other points in the run, following the aforementioned bucket by Cumberland, came off baskets by Ruckel, who in his seven straight points made a 3-pointer in front of the Whiteoak student section, followed by consecutive two-point field goals and then converting two free-throw shots.
“We always preach the first three minutes of the second half, make them call the first timeout, and we really forced the issue that third quarter and in the fourth quarter we executed on the offensive end,” Kibler said.
Fairfield (1-2, 2-3) broke up the run of scoring with a 3-pointer from Wyatt Willey, as those were the final points of the quarter as Fairfield trailed, 35-27.
In what was a physical and tough game played by both teams, the fourth quarter opened with a bucket off a jump shot by Bentley with 6:41 left in regulation. Ruckel was there again, this time answering with a jumper of his own, and teammate Traeten Hamilton converted a three-point play with 5:33 on the clock for a 40-29 lead.
Bentley was there for Fairfield again with points in the paint, but the Wildcats had a free-throw conversion by Hamilton. From there, both teams made numerous trips to the free-throw line, with Whiteoak leading 45-34 with 2:05 on the clock.
Fairfield continued to battle with a put-back bucket by Ethan Saunders, but the Wildcats ended the game with five more free-throw conversions with three by Rand and two from Ruckel to secure the 12-point win.
For the game, Whiteoak had three players finish in double figures with Ruckel leading with 19 points, Hamilton finishing with 14 points and Rand totaling 13 points.
“In the first half, we were just trying to get into the flow of things, get some movement but it really wasn’t kicking in, but in the second half (Hunter) got some nice looks and he started our offense,” Kibler said. “They (FHS) knew, they did their homework and kind of dogged (Hunter) pretty much, and then they kind of let off of him then we took advantage of it. We got him some screens, got him open and he made some big shots in the third quarter.”
Bentley led the Lions with 12 points, followed by Willey with 11 points.
“In the third quarter, we let them jump out to a big lead. We gave up on our intensity a little bit in the third quarter, and that was the difference in the game. They (WHS) came out of the locker room after halftime and gave it everything, and they got an 11-point lead,” Fairfield head coach Josh Howland said. “The last couple minutes of the quarter, the guys played hard, but honestly we have to play hard all the time. That was the difference in the game. You can’t just go 100-percent most of the time, it has to be 100-percent all the time.
“We just talked about (intensity) after the game, bringing intensity all the time. Credit Whiteoak, they played very hard and they did not give up when they got down. They fought back hard, and I thought they played at 100-percent the entire time. We are going to watch the third quarter on film tomorrow. We are coming in the morning to try to see exactly whey we did as far as effort and see what we need to do to fix it. We have two big league games next week in Peebles and Fayetteville.”
As for the opening half, the Lions led by a point after eight minutes with Fairfield having their 11 points come from five points by Willey (including a 3-pointer in the latter stages of the frame), along with four points by Bentley and one point off a free throw by Sam Buddelmeyer.
Whiteoak in the opening frame had a big quarter from Rand with seven points in the span of eight minutes, including a 3-pointer of his own at the the 4:36 mark of the quarter. Also for WHS in the first, Hamilton and Brayden Yeager each had a two-point bucket.
The second frame saw Fairfield outscore the Wildcats, 12-10 with points from Austin Setty (two free throws), Willey (one free throw) and Bryson Simmons (a 3-pointer), while Conner Priest and Bentley each made a two-point basket.
Whiteoak saw Hamilton score six points and Ruckel net four points in the second frame.
“It has taken us a little bit, but we got us a nice rotation of eight to nine guys and get some guys in there,” Kibler said. “The kids have really stepped up. This is a big win, against a well-coached quality rival, and they are going to come to play every time we play them. Getting a win again a school in our division, it is going to matter toward the end of the season and at tournament time.”
Next for Whiteoak is a quick turnaround with a non-conference contest on the road at Glenwood New Boston.
“We have New Boston tomorrow. They are tough and have a kid that is 6-7 who can shoot the ball. One game at a time, and we should be all right,” Kibler said.
Fairfield plays again on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Peebles in SHAC play.
That third frame saw Whiteoak (2-1, 3-1) outscore their Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival 14-5 in the quarter, and that outbreak of scoring eventually led to the 50-38 SHAC victory, Friday in front of a packed gymnasium.
The atmosphere was electric from the tip-off of the game as both fan bases were out in full force in the Highland County showdown, as the first half was pretty well even. Whiteoak led at the end of the first frame at 11-10, but it was Fairfield in the lead at halftime by a 22-21 score, following a 12-10 second frame.
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Then came the third frame, and the entire flow of the game changed in favor of the Wildcats as they were first to score in the third with a 3-pointer by Zach Rand to take the lead at 24-22. The Lions answered quickly with a jumper by James Bentley at the 5:56 mark for a tied score at 24 points each.
Whiteoak regained at the lead with a layup by Deavin Cumberland at the 5:23 mark of the third, and following a timeout, the Wildcats went on a 9-0 run from the basket from Cumberland to the 5:38 mark of the quarter for a 35-24 lead.
All of the other points in the run, following the aforementioned bucket by Cumberland, came off baskets by Ruckel, who in his seven straight points made a 3-pointer in front of the Whiteoak student section, followed by consecutive two-point field goals and then converting two free-throw shots.
“We always preach the first three minutes of the second half, make them call the first timeout, and we really forced the issue that third quarter and in the fourth quarter we executed on the offensive end,” Kibler said.
Fairfield (1-2, 2-3) broke up the run of scoring with a 3-pointer from Wyatt Willey, as those were the final points of the quarter as Fairfield trailed, 35-27.
In what was a physical and tough game played by both teams, the fourth quarter opened with a bucket off a jump shot by Bentley with 6:41 left in regulation. Ruckel was there again, this time answering with a jumper of his own, and teammate Traeten Hamilton converted a three-point play with 5:33 on the clock for a 40-29 lead.
Bentley was there for Fairfield again with points in the paint, but the Wildcats had a free-throw conversion by Hamilton. From there, both teams made numerous trips to the free-throw line, with Whiteoak leading 45-34 with 2:05 on the clock.
Fairfield continued to battle with a put-back bucket by Ethan Saunders, but the Wildcats ended the game with five more free-throw conversions with three by Rand and two from Ruckel to secure the 12-point win.
For the game, Whiteoak had three players finish in double figures with Ruckel leading with 19 points, Hamilton finishing with 14 points and Rand totaling 13 points.
“In the first half, we were just trying to get into the flow of things, get some movement but it really wasn’t kicking in, but in the second half (Hunter) got some nice looks and he started our offense,” Kibler said. “They (FHS) knew, they did their homework and kind of dogged (Hunter) pretty much, and then they kind of let off of him then we took advantage of it. We got him some screens, got him open and he made some big shots in the third quarter.”
Bentley led the Lions with 12 points, followed by Willey with 11 points.
“In the third quarter, we let them jump out to a big lead. We gave up on our intensity a little bit in the third quarter, and that was the difference in the game. They (WHS) came out of the locker room after halftime and gave it everything, and they got an 11-point lead,” Fairfield head coach Josh Howland said. “The last couple minutes of the quarter, the guys played hard, but honestly we have to play hard all the time. That was the difference in the game. You can’t just go 100-percent most of the time, it has to be 100-percent all the time.
“We just talked about (intensity) after the game, bringing intensity all the time. Credit Whiteoak, they played very hard and they did not give up when they got down. They fought back hard, and I thought they played at 100-percent the entire time. We are going to watch the third quarter on film tomorrow. We are coming in the morning to try to see exactly whey we did as far as effort and see what we need to do to fix it. We have two big league games next week in Peebles and Fayetteville.”
As for the opening half, the Lions led by a point after eight minutes with Fairfield having their 11 points come from five points by Willey (including a 3-pointer in the latter stages of the frame), along with four points by Bentley and one point off a free throw by Sam Buddelmeyer.
Whiteoak in the opening frame had a big quarter from Rand with seven points in the span of eight minutes, including a 3-pointer of his own at the the 4:36 mark of the quarter. Also for WHS in the first, Hamilton and Brayden Yeager each had a two-point bucket.
The second frame saw Fairfield outscore the Wildcats, 12-10 with points from Austin Setty (two free throws), Willey (one free throw) and Bryson Simmons (a 3-pointer), while Conner Priest and Bentley each made a two-point basket.
Whiteoak saw Hamilton score six points and Ruckel net four points in the second frame.
“It has taken us a little bit, but we got us a nice rotation of eight to nine guys and get some guys in there,” Kibler said. “The kids have really stepped up. This is a big win, against a well-coached quality rival, and they are going to come to play every time we play them. Getting a win again a school in our division, it is going to matter toward the end of the season and at tournament time.”
Next for Whiteoak is a quick turnaround with a non-conference contest on the road at Glenwood New Boston.
“We have New Boston tomorrow. They are tough and have a kid that is 6-7 who can shoot the ball. One game at a time, and we should be all right,” Kibler said.
Fairfield plays again on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Peebles in SHAC play.