vs. Bennington

11/29/12 At Bennington

Wahoo 53
Bennington 49

The Wahoo Warriors defeated the Bennington Badgers 53-49 in the opening game of the season on Thursday night. Senior Brook Stuart hit 4 consecutive free throws in the game’s final 20 seconds to give the Warriors the win.

The Badgers jumped out to a 11-4 lead midway through the first quarter. A three point play and two free throws from Jake Scheef cut the lead to 11-9, and a 15 foot jumper from Jonathan Abbott at the end of the quarter tied the game at 11 after one.

The Warrior slowly opened up a lead on the Badgers. A Preston Raymond feed to Ben Scheef gave Wahoo it’s largest lead of the night at 26-19. Bennington would cut the lead to 30-28 at halftime.

Wahoo again opened the lead up in the third quarter. Jake Scheef found Ben Scheef under the basket to make it 37-31, but again could not shake Bennington. A Josh Langemeier steal and lay up made it 44-40, but a Bennington basket to close the half made it 44-42 going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter stayed close. A Ben Scheef free throw with 45 seconds to play made it 49-46. After a Badger miss, the Warriors ran some clock. Brook Stuart was fouled with 20 seconds left and made both free throws to put Wahoo up 51-46. A Grant Sieckman trey in the corner cut the lead to 51-49. The Warriors missed a free throws, but a tremendous effort play from Jonathan Abbott and Quinn McGill on the miss, got the ball back for the Warriors. Brook Stuart was fouled again with 6 seconds left and converted both free throws to seal the win for the Warriors.

Ben Scheef led a balanced Wahoo attack with 14 points. Jonathan Abbott had 12 points and 4 steals. Brook Stuart had 10 points. Jake Scheef had 8 points off the bench, and Quinn McGill added 7 points and 8 boards.

The Warriors will now host the Seward Bluejays on Saturday afternoon.
Coach's Corner: “We did not get off to a good start, but I thought our kids really competed well. They kept their composure, kept battling, and made just enough plays to get it done. Jonathan Abbott played a great first half, and his effort play off the missed free throw in the final 10 seconds was huge. Brook Stuart’s 4 free throws in the final 18 seconds were clutch. Seniors step up and hit big free throws at crunch time, and that is what Brook did. I thought Jake Scheef really gave us a spark early when we were down early. Quinn McGill gave a tremendous effort tonight, and after a slow start, Ben Scheef played well the final three quarters.” -- Coach Scheef
Quinn McGill drives to the basket against Bennington. (photo by Renee Hancock)