Whiteoak Wildcats wrap up season at Convo; fall to Waterford
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
ATHENS — Gaining a lead very early in their Division IV SE District Semifinal game against the Waterford Wildcats, the Whiteoak Wildcats needed more consistency in their scoring on Sunday evening, falling to Waterford at the Ohio University Convocation Center by a 56-43 score.
The Whiteoak squad earned their spot in the district round with a sectional final win over Green last week, but against Waterford Whiteoak held a three-point lead two minutes into the game, but eventually lost the lead at the 4:35 mark of the opening frame and was unable to regain it for the remainder of the game.
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The loss leaves Whiteoak with a 12-13 overall record as they finished with a Southern Hills Athletic Conference mark of 4-9.
In the district semifinal game, Whiteoak was led by junior Hunter Ruckel with 13 points, followed by senior Zach Rand with 11 points.
Freshman Bradley Ashbaugh and junior Deavin Cumberland each ended the game with five points, while senior Traeten Hamilton scored four points. Senior Atlee Carr added three points and junior Brayden Yeager had two points to wrap up the scoring for the Wildcats.
“What an awesome finish to a season that has been up and down all year. This has struck fire to the whole entire program,” WHS head coach Blake Kibler said. “We have taken this program in the right direction, and I think it’s only up from here.
“We want to thank our seniors. They surely will be missed. They are wonderful kids with bright futures ahead of them, and we only wish them the best. The beautiful thing about this for me is we take some time off and then get back to work. We have a lot of solid pieces coming back that will make us very dangerous for next season. It has been a wonderful ride.”
The game saw WHS total four 3-pointers, 10 two-point baskets and they were 11-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Waterford was led by Russell Young with 20 points and Nick Fouss with 12 points The team of Waterford totaled 18 two-point baskets, five 3-pointers and they were 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.
The opening quarter was tough on the Whiteoak Wildcats as they were outscored 17-8 in the opening frame, with five of their eight points coming in the first two minutes of the contest. The game opened with a bucket by Waterford, but Whiteoak came back with a layup by Ruckel and a 3-pointer from Ashbaugh for the 5-2 advantage.
Whiteoak didn’t score again in the first until there was 2:09 on the clock, where a 3-pointer by Ruckel broke up a 9-0 run by Waterford for a 11-8 deficit. From that point in the first, Waterford wrapped up the quarter with six straight points.
Whiteoak scored 13 points in the second, while Waterford added 12 points to their total for a 29-21 advantage over Whiteoak once halftime arrived.
Rand battled tough for WHS in the second with seven of the 13 points scored by WHS in the quarter, including two two-point baskets and going 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Also in the second, Ruckel sank a two-point basket, as did Ashbaugh, while Cumberland made two free throws in the frame.
The second half saw Waterford win the third at 11-8 and the fourth quarter with a 16-14 scoring differential, leading to the eventual 13-point Whiteoak loss.
In the third, Carr sank 3-pointer at the 2:43 mark of the frame, then bringing the Whiteoak Wildcats to within eight points of the Waterford lead.
Whiteoak’s final frame of the season saw points by Cumberland, Hamilton, Ruckel and Rand, as he sank a 3-pointer in the frame.
The Whiteoak squad earned their spot in the district round with a sectional final win over Green last week, but against Waterford Whiteoak held a three-point lead two minutes into the game, but eventually lost the lead at the 4:35 mark of the opening frame and was unable to regain it for the remainder of the game.
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The loss leaves Whiteoak with a 12-13 overall record as they finished with a Southern Hills Athletic Conference mark of 4-9.
In the district semifinal game, Whiteoak was led by junior Hunter Ruckel with 13 points, followed by senior Zach Rand with 11 points.
Freshman Bradley Ashbaugh and junior Deavin Cumberland each ended the game with five points, while senior Traeten Hamilton scored four points. Senior Atlee Carr added three points and junior Brayden Yeager had two points to wrap up the scoring for the Wildcats.
“What an awesome finish to a season that has been up and down all year. This has struck fire to the whole entire program,” WHS head coach Blake Kibler said. “We have taken this program in the right direction, and I think it’s only up from here.
“We want to thank our seniors. They surely will be missed. They are wonderful kids with bright futures ahead of them, and we only wish them the best. The beautiful thing about this for me is we take some time off and then get back to work. We have a lot of solid pieces coming back that will make us very dangerous for next season. It has been a wonderful ride.”
The game saw WHS total four 3-pointers, 10 two-point baskets and they were 11-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Waterford was led by Russell Young with 20 points and Nick Fouss with 12 points The team of Waterford totaled 18 two-point baskets, five 3-pointers and they were 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.
The opening quarter was tough on the Whiteoak Wildcats as they were outscored 17-8 in the opening frame, with five of their eight points coming in the first two minutes of the contest. The game opened with a bucket by Waterford, but Whiteoak came back with a layup by Ruckel and a 3-pointer from Ashbaugh for the 5-2 advantage.
Whiteoak didn’t score again in the first until there was 2:09 on the clock, where a 3-pointer by Ruckel broke up a 9-0 run by Waterford for a 11-8 deficit. From that point in the first, Waterford wrapped up the quarter with six straight points.
Whiteoak scored 13 points in the second, while Waterford added 12 points to their total for a 29-21 advantage over Whiteoak once halftime arrived.
Rand battled tough for WHS in the second with seven of the 13 points scored by WHS in the quarter, including two two-point baskets and going 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Also in the second, Ruckel sank a two-point basket, as did Ashbaugh, while Cumberland made two free throws in the frame.
The second half saw Waterford win the third at 11-8 and the fourth quarter with a 16-14 scoring differential, leading to the eventual 13-point Whiteoak loss.
In the third, Carr sank 3-pointer at the 2:43 mark of the frame, then bringing the Whiteoak Wildcats to within eight points of the Waterford lead.
Whiteoak’s final frame of the season saw points by Cumberland, Hamilton, Ruckel and Rand, as he sank a 3-pointer in the frame.