Whitehall defense shines in victory

By JACK H. SMITH

Ledger Publisher

The Whitehall High School boy's basketball team was firing on all cylinders defensively Friday night in a runaway victory over Jefferson County High School.

The Trojans (11-1, 6-0 5B) held the rival Panthers to six or less points in three quarters, including giving up just two points in the first period of the 62-24 victory.

The game could not have been more different than the first matchup between the two teams last week, a 51-47 Whitehall victory last Tuesday in Boulder.

Whitehall would open the game with the first nine points, and following the only Jefferson basket of the first midway through the quarter, would answer right back with an 11-0 run to increase the lead to 20-2.

"The start defensively we had was night and day different from what we had in Boulder," Trojan head coach Zach McLean said. "We made them look a lot harder for their shots and we grinded things out. We got some stops early and got some quick transition baskets and that really helped us."

Jefferson did not have a player score over five points in the game, and McLean praised his team for the strong play out of the gates. He said because they like to move the ball up and down the court they have to buy in on the defensive end.

Sophomore Max Feight continued his strong play, and was one of four Trojans finishing in double figures with a game high 18. Andrew Simon had 13, Wyatt Alexander finished with 11 and Braden Larsen added 10 points. Braden Smith had four, Ryan Murphy finished with three, Justin Gipson added two and Cade Briggs finished his night with one point.

The win was one night after a convincing 65-47 victory over Anaconda.

Whitehall was led by Simon, who finished tied for a game high with 19 points. Larsen and Alexander each had 14, Feight added six, and Noyes chipped in four. Braden Smith, Ryan Murphy, and Cade Briggs all finished with two points.

Whitehall will next play Friday, January 27 at Big Timber. The Trojans picked up a 67-49 win over the Herder's Tuesday night in Varsity Gym.

McLean said the team is getting better; they just need to sure up something including help side defense and offensive execution.