THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

Since the arrival of head coach Nick French four years ago, the Whitney High boys basketball team has claimed the Quarry Classic each year and the margins of victory have widened. In Tuesday’s Classic, the Wildcats jumped out to an 18-10 lead in the first frame and continued on to an 84-58 victory. It was Thunder head coach Steve Taylor’s first Classic after leaving the program following the 2010 season. In spite of the lopsided victory, French has a lot of respect for Taylor and the Rocklin program. “(Rocklin) is only going to get better and that program is going to get better so we’re really going to have our hands full for years to come,” French said after his club improved to 6-2 on the season. “I don’t think we’re ever going to take them lightly and I hope they win every single game from here on out.” The Wildcats were on fire from the opening whistle until the final buzzer. The home club hung double digits on the scoreboard before the visitors got their first point. “I thought our effort was good. When it comes down to it, they just made more shots than we did,” Taylor said. “But you go 11-0 to start the game. Then we came back and cut it to 4-5, and then all the energy we used to get it close expended (our energy).” Whitney’s defense forced 17 Thunder turnovers in the first 16 minutes while the Wildcats surrendered the ball just six times. The boards also tilted in Whitney’s favor. Whitney held the edge in nearly every facet of the game. While the ‘Cats went to the free-throw line seven times in the first half, Rocklin didn’t toe the charity stripe until the third quarter. “I was really proud of how we shot from the free-throw line,” French said. “It’s probably the best we’ve shot from the free-throw line all season.” The Wildcats’ Jashon Lewis was 8-for-8 from the line and the team shot better than 70 percent. The home club’s 3-point shooting was perhaps even more spectacular. Behind Josh Ohara’s 6-7 shooting from beyond the arc, the ‘Cats shot 55 percent from long range. In contrast, the Thunder shot 30 percent. “If you look at the game tonight, the difference between the two teams, I think, had to do with the pressure that they were able to put on us verses the pressure we were able to put on them,” Taylor said. “They disrupted our offense more than we disrupted theirs. “Credit Whitney, they’re contesting shots and we’re still developing and still improving in that area,” Taylor added. Taylor said he hopes to restore Rocklin’s commitment to hard-nosed defense. The coach said returning players each year have to provide leadership and that also hasn’t been happening. In spite of the lopsided score, both coaches were impressed by the tremendous energy on the floor and in the stands. Taylor said that kind of environment, playing before a packed house, will be good for his players going forward. As for Whitney, they thrive on it. “I want to thank everybody that came out tonight,” French said. “The involvement of the community was awesome. The crowds were great; both sides were great.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

WHITNEY BOYS AGAIN TAKE QUARRY CLASSIC

JIM LINSDAU

Placer Herald | 12/16/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Whitney High School Athletics