WHITEHALL — Whitehall was "Jekyll and Hyde" when combating the Manistee press Friday night, said coach Brian Milliron, and the struggles were just enough to keep the team from scoring a victory, as the Vikings lost 41-36.
A lengthy scoring drought in the first half was the biggest culprit in the defeat, as Manistee went on a 13-0 scoring run that overlapped the first and second quarters, putting the Mariners ahead 15-8. Whitehall stayed close the rest of the way but never led again.
The Mariners attacked Whitehall (2-6, 2-2 West Michigan Conference Lakes)with a press defense almost the whole game, much as Fremont did four days prior. Manistee's athletes aren't as overpowering as the WMC Lakes favorite Packers, but they were effective enough that Whitehall ballhandlers were flustered into too many mistakes.
"That's me not doing a good enough job getting them prepared so
they can be consistent," Milliron said. "That's something I need to keep working on. They believe sometimes, but then they have these crises of
confidence at times as well. I've got to do a better job of pumping
them up and getting them to understand that, 'You guys are good basketball players.'
"After a couple of times down, we'd beat the press, and it was like,
'Hey, this is great. You guys are doing great.' Then the next time down,
we'd look like we'd never seen a press a day in our
lives, and I don't know why. It's super confusing. That's just reps.
We've got to do a better job of getting them prepared for it."
Milliron added that the Vikings weren't aggressive enough offensively in the first half, pointing to the one foul called against Manistee in that span as a consequence of that.
"You're not going to get
rewarded with free throws if you're not going to be the aggressor," Milliron said. "We
keep saying that, and they keep nodding their heads, and at some point
we've got to do it."
Peyton Schultz was Whitehall's top offensive force, making two early three-pointers (she had four overall) to stake the Vikings to a 6-0 lead. Her long-distance shooting has been one of the team's better assets on that side of the ball all season. She had 14 points and six rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
After Manistee's run, Whitehall came back with five quick points - all by Ellie Conklin with Clare Westerlund assisting - to get within two, but that was as close as the Vikings got until the final minutes.
Whitehall's Janie Fagan tries to power through defense from Manistee's Alayna Edmondson (4) and Madalyn Wayward during Friday's game at Whitehall. The Vikings lost, 41-36.
Two treys by Manistee kept the Vikings at bay in the third quarter, despite Schultz knocking down another one. Whitehall also struggled to finish at the rim in the frame, which has unfortunately been a common theme for the Vikings.
Whitehall made some defensive plays late in the game, rallying from a double-digit deficit to get within two, 38-36, with 1:21 left, thanks to, among other things, another trey by Schultz; forcing a pair of Manistee turnovers; and Westerlund cashing them in for buckets on the other end (she had 10 points).
Whitehall then fouled the Mariners twice in a row as Manistee played a ball-control offense, but even after Manistee went 0-for-2 on both trips to the line, it was still able to grab offensive rebounds. The Viking defense then lost Avamae Fett under the basket amid their attempts to pressure the opposing ballhandlers, and Fett scored an and-one basket to help her team hang on for the win.
Fett had 13 points to lead the Mariners, and Lindsey Gardner chipped in 12.
Whitehall plays its next four games on the road, and Milliron said a change of scenery might actually benefit the Vikes as they attempt to find the consistency that can make them the team they believe they can be.
"If we can just figure out who we
are identity-wise, (we'll) understand that we're a good basketball team that just has to be more consistent," Milliron said.
