OSSIAN – Whitko fell behind big early, had one of its best quarters to get close, then ultimately fell 78-50 at 3A No. 17 Norwell in a non-conference girls basketball game Wednesday night.
The Lady Wildcats trailed 23-7 after one quarter before outscoring the Lady Knights 21-17 in the second period. Whitko outscored Norwell 13-11 in the third period before the home team pulled away in the fnal eight minutes.
Still, Whitko coach Rick Bragg was pleased with his team’s effort, despite extending its losing streak to 13 games.
"We played extremely well against a very talented Norwell squad, despite what the final score may indicate," Bragg said. "We actually got within eight with a couple minutes left in the third quarter, then unfortunately committed four straight turnovers that resulted in an 8-0 run for Norwell that stretched their lead to 16 points.
"Without question, this was the first time we played a solid four quarters of basketball regardless of the final score. We took several steps forward tonight. The key is to continue to build on this progress and continue to improve."
Emalee Duggins had 14 points for Whitko, with Kayla Schipper adding 13. Sarah Hewitt had eight points, Anny Ousley had six, Ellie Snep five and Lizz Foutz four points for the Lady Wildcats.
Whitko, now 1-16, hosts Southwod (2-14) in Three Rivers Conference play Saturday night. Both teams are looking for their first TRC win this season.
