Whiteoak starts season with win over Ripley; losses to Felicity, Western

After playing three games thus far in the 2023-24 season the Whiteoak Wildcats stand at 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference.
The Wildcats started their season on Friday, Dec. 1, where they defeated the Ripley Blue Jays in SHAC action, earning a 60-48 road win.
From there the Wildcats lost to Felicity at home on Saturday, Dec. 2 in non-conference play by a 71-52 score.
Next was a game on Tuesday, Dec. 5, where WHS lost in double overtime to Western Latham at home by a 72-70 score.
In the season opener on Dec. 1, the Wildcats led 19-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The second frame saw RHS outscore Whiteoak 20-8 for a halftime score in favor of WHS at 27-20. In the second half, RHS outscored the Wildcats 11-9 in the third, but WHS won the game and the final frame as they outscored the Blue Jays, 24-17 in the final eight minutes of play.
Sawyer Blair led the Wildcats with 17 points, plus he collected six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Tyler Wessner totaled 12 points, and he added one rebound, two assists and one steal.
The Wildcats also had 11 points and 11 rebounds from Brady Brandenburg for a double-double, plus he added one assist, one steal and one block.
Weston Blair finished with seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Also with seven points was Zack Igo, as he also ended the game with five rebounds and a steal.
Zander Roades collected six points, four assists and a steal.
As a team, WHS shot 35.6 percent from the field, and made one 3-pointer (Blair). The Wildcats also had 40 total rebounds, 11 assists, nine steals and two blocks. The Wildcats committed 11 turnovers.
Felicity 71, Whiteoak 52
In their second game of the season WHS lost at home to Felicity-Franklin, 71-52 on Dec. 2.
In the non-conference loss, WHS trailed 20-16 at the conclusion of the first frame and were outscored 20-12 in the second quarter for a halftime deficit of 40-28.
The second half saw a third frame where WHS outscored Felicity 17-12 in the third and the Wildcats were outscored in the fourth frame at 19-7.
Sawyer Blair was Whiteoak’s leading scorer with 19 points, plus he had six rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block.
Zander Roades totaled 15 points, making three 3-pointers in the scoring, and he added three rebounds, one assist and four steals.
Brady Brandenburg was the third WHS player in double figures against Felicity with 10 points, and he collected five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The rest of Whiteoak’s scoring included Weston Blair with three points, Zack Igo with three points and Tyler Wessner with two points.
As a team, WHS shot 34 percent from the field, and they were 11-of-19 from the free-throw line. The Wildcats totaled five 3-pointers, with Roades sinking three, and with one each were Blair and Brandenburg.
The Wildcats also had the following team totals: 23 rebounds, six assists, 11 steals and two blocks. The Wildcats committed 14 turnovers.
Western Latham 72, Whiteoak 70 (2OT)
It was a tough loss to suffer for the Whiteoak WIldcats Saturday night in double overtime, with the home non-conference loss coming against Western Latham by a 72-70 score.
Western Latham held a 17-6 lead when the first frame finished, and after the Wildcats outscored the visitors, 14-9 in the second, it was WLHS leading the Wildcats, 26-20 at halftime.
Whiteoak gained 15 points in the third and 13 points in the fourth quarter, and in those two same quarters, WLHS had 12 points in the third and 10 points in the fourth for a tied score of 48 points each.
Both team then scored 12 points apiece in the first overtime, and Western Latham outgained Whiteoak, 12-10 in the second overtime, sending WHS to their second loss on the season.
Weston Blair led WHS with 22 points, making 10 two-point baskets, and he was 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also had eight rebounds, one assist and three steals.
Zander Roades totaled 16 points, with four 3-pointers. He also had two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Sawyer Blair ended the game with nine points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
WHS also had seven points by Brady Brandenburg, two points by Tyler Wessner, nine points from Aiden Crowe and five points from Zack Igo. Jonah Michael had two rebounds.
WHS shot 42.4 percent from the field, made a total of five 3-pointers and went 9-of-15 from the free-throw line.
Also as a team, the Wildcats collected 38 rebounds, four assists, eight steals and committed 23 turnovers.