With their victory at home over Eau Claire on Wednesday, the Yellowjacket men's basketball team knew that they had punched their ticket for the WIAC tournament and that Saturday's game at Whitewater was not one that will be a "must-win." That won't be the same in the next meeting. The Warhawks got the win on their home court Saturday, 79-63 over the Yellowjackets, and have ensured that the two teams will meet in the first round of the WIAC playoffs.
The first half was a strong one for the Yellowjackets, as a team shooting 44.8% and holding Whitewater standout Chris Davis to just six points, going to the break tied at 32-32. The Yellowjackets opened the scoring on a Jake Smith (Rhinelander, Wis.) three-pointer, but the Warhawks quickly tied the score. The game stayed tight, with the lead changing hands for much of the first half. The Warhawks would try to pull away, eventually leading by four at 19-15 with just under ten minutes left, but the Yellowjackets would battle back, taking a one-point lead, 24-23 on a Smith layup with 4:34 to go. The lead would bulge to as many as seven points when Greg Roeder (Mercer, Wis.) hit the layup and added a free throw, to make the score 30-23 with 2:42 to play. Whitewater would then proceed on a 9-0 run to retake the lead, before Roeder hit a jumper with 17 seconds left in the half to tie the game.
In the second half, the Yellowjackets went cold, shooting just 38.7% from the field while Whitewater turned things up, hitting at 57.1%. This coincided with Davis heating up, as he shot 7-9 from the field and scored 20 points after the break, helping the Warhawks pull away. With the score tied at 37-37, the Warhawks went on a 10-3 run over a three-minute span, taking the lead for good. The lead would hit as many as 17 points in the second half, that coming when the score was 68-51 with seven minutes to play.
Smith was his usual self for the Yellowjackets, scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Roeder added 11 points and Dan Culy (Rice Lake, Wis.) had 10. Dustin Ritchie (Superior, Wis.) had five assists and two steals, both tops for the Yellowjackets.
After a rough first half, Davis ended up with 26 points in the game to lead the Warhawks (17-8 overall, 10-6 WIAC). Phil Negri added 15 points and Antone Byrd had 11 for Whitewater.