THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

The Whitney girls basketball team could just be the most exciting of this season. The Wildcats demonstrated what they are capable of in the Quarry Classic before heading for Brentwood and the West Coast Jamboree – Gold Tournament last week. Since the Classic, the Wildcats have had two wins and two losses. They lost their final two games of the Jamboree, but only by an average of six points per game. The team returned and played at Placer and took out a good Hillmen team 64-52 Tuesday. Everything appeared in good shape, with the exception of 3-point shooting. Over the last four games the Wildcats have shot a dismal 6 percent from beyond the arc; previously, the ‘Cats had been hitting 33 percent of their 3-point shots. However, Whitney head coach Sydney Gatson said the poor shooting from behind the arc might have concerned her before the season started, but not now. “What’s happening is our girls are (succeeding) in a lot of other ways. Obviously, teams are really keyed into us and playing us really hard on the line,” Gatson said “We’re finding other ways to score, which is why we’re still winning games.” Whitney 64, Placer 52 The Wildcats’ 3-point woes continued, but the maroon-and-gold took their inside scoring up a notch. Ten ‘Cats scored in the contest, shooting a respectable 35 percent from the floor and 42 percent from the charity stripe. Although they led by just one at the end of the first half, Whitney took over in the final 16 minutes. The team took down 40 rebounds, made 16 steals and committed only 12 turnovers in the contest. Campolindo 66, Whitney 59 The Wildcats started slow, but finished strong in the fourth quarter to finish the tournament in fourth place. Whitney outscored the Cougars 22-13 in the final frame. Jada Lewis, Makenzie Macfarlane and Kailee McCarrick carried the club in scoring with a combined 41-point effort. Campolindo held a slight edge in rebounding, thanks to 6-foot center, Haley Van Dyke’s 19 caroms. Lewis, Emily Brustman and Maxie Macfarlane combined for 20. Gatson said Van Dyke was dominant, but added that the Wildcats were not intimidated by the Cougars’ center and held their own on the glass. “We saw some really strong teams (in Brentwood), but I think what impresses me the most about (Whitney) is how tough they’re playing,” said Coach Gatson. “The girls don’t care what you’re credentials are; they don’t care how tall you are and they don’t care how big you are.” Heritage 56, Whitney 51 Lewis led the club with 22 points (three treys) and McCarrick added 19, but that was nearly 80 percent of the ‘Cats’ scoring. The duo combined for seven 3-point goals. Lewis was a veritable Wildcat on the boards, hauling down 18 rebounds. The team left nine points on the table via the free-throw line. Whitney 49, Prairie 47 The Wildcats trailed by five at half, but edged their way back for the victory, outscoring the Washington team 13-10 in quarter four. It was a team effort in scoring, with Lewis tallying 13, Brustman 10, and Akira Cherry and Makenzie Macfarlane added eight apiece. But that contest was where Whitney found they could without the 3-point shot; the ‘Cats connected on just one of 25 attempts from the perimeter. But a 44-percent shooting effort in the key and 12-of-18 at the line remedied that situation. Whitney opens Capital Valley Conference play at Del Campo Friday. The Cougars are coming off a win over Lincoln. Del Campo is playing well, but not scoring a lot of points. Although they are averaging only 43 points a game, they are holding opponents to the same. Of the eight teams on the Capital Valley Conference, only two are playing below .500 in preseason.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

WILDCATS SET SIGHTS ON CONFERENCE TITLE

JIM LINSDAU

Placer Herald | 1/5/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Linsdau