Whitnall Takes Woodland Crossover Title
PEWAUKEE — The top two teams in the Woodland Conference met in Wednesday’s crossover. The East champion Whitnall, edged the West champs Pewaukee, despite a strong second half push from the Pirates, who nearly overcame a 12-point halftime deficit.
Grant Basile – 2018 – PF – Pewaukee
Basile scored a team-high 33 points for Pewaukee.This kid has a chance to be a star in the Horizon League. The Wright State commit dropped 33 points and that came after a slow start where Basile struggled to finish around the rim and got a couple of tough bounces from the rim.
Basile took over in the second half. He demanded the ball practically every time down the floor. Don’t mistake his raw frame for a lack of toughness. Basile will battle on the block and is becoming more efficient at scoring through contact. A versatile forward, Basile is a difficult matchup. He can act as a point forward, bring the ball up the floor, and is comfortable going coast-to-coast in transition. When he’s in a zone like Wednesday, Basile will take the ball up the floor and waste no time attacking his man off the bounce.
Love the way Basile rebounds the basketball as well. He high points the ball off the rim and just snatches it with his 6-foot-8 frame. Also an exceptional shot blocker, Basile erased a handful of potential Whitnall buckets.
Jack Gohlke – 2018 – G – Pewaukee
Like this get for Division 2 Hillsdale. Gohlke is a rise and fire shooter and doesn’t need a lot of space to be comfortable. Gohlke moves well without the ball and can shoot on the go, even if he’s drifting one way or the other. Gohlke gets great elevation on his jumper, making it difficult for defenders to contest. Gohlke can also serve as an extra ball handler and is more than comfortable taking over some, if not all, of the point guard duties. He heated up just in time, scoring seven-straight points to tie the game with about a minute remaining. Gohlke scored 11 of his 19 points in that final minute to give Pewaukee a chance.
Tyler Herro – 2018 – SG – Whitnall
The Kentucky commit hit Pewaukee like a freight train. Herro was bottled up when these two teams met two years ago. That was not the case on Wednesday.
Herro was simply unstoppable on and off the ball. Pewaukee tried to wear him out, picking Herro up 90 feet from the basket, double teaming him on a number of his touches, and making him work for 15-20 seconds to get the ball in the half court…Herro is just something special. The consistency at which Herro knocks down difficult, contested shots makes him one of the premiere shooting guards in the country. No matter where Herro catches on the floor, he’s a threat.
Just another day at the office for Kentucky commit Tyler Herro. 39 points to lead @whitnallbball past Pewaukee. #wisbb #BBN pic.twitter.com/gWNa3scaIY
— Prep Hoops Wisconsin (@PrepHoops_WI) February 22, 2018
What decided the game wasn’t Herro’s shooting ability, however. Pewaukee did a nice job down the stretch of forcing someone other than Herro to beat them. Herro made some terrific clutch passes in traffic and set up his teammates for easy buckets that sealed the deal. With no signs of slowing down despite playing all 36 minutes, Herro also contributed with some key clutch plays on 50-50 balls and rebounds that swung the momentum in Whitnall’s favor.
Herro finished with 39 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the win.