MUSKEGON — Not much worked for Whitehall offensively Monday night against Oakridge in pre-district play, but luckily, sophomore point guard Peyton Schultz's shooting stroke did.
Schultz knocked down four three-pointers in the first half of the game, which along with strong defense staked the Vikings to a big lead they never relinquished in a 39-25 win.
With the win, Whitehall (9-13) advanced to a Wednesday semifinal against Fruitport - a rematch of a game the Trojans won 45-33 in December.
Just over a week removed from a dominant defensive performance against those same Eagles, Whitehall picked up where it left off on that side of the ball Monday night, limiting Oakridge to just five first-half points. Schultz's hot shooting propelled the Viking offense to a 23-5 halftime lead.
One possession displayed the confidence with which Schultz shot the ball Monday. Having already hit a couple in the first quarter, Schultz brought the ball up in the second and dribbled around the arc, waiting for an opening to make a pass. When none presented itself after several seconds had elapsed, Schultz simply let fly with another long bomb and made it.
"After I started making them, I was definitely wanting to shoot more, wanting to keep going and be more aggressive because I was making those," Schultz said. "It definitely boosted my confidence, and I think my teammates' too."
Coach Brian Milliron told his team at halftime that the Eagles would make a run. It took over three minutes after halftime for anyone to score, but Oakridge eventually did kick-start that run with a three-pointer, one of two the Eagles hit in the third quarter. Whitehall, meanwhile, didn't score in the third until Schultz hit yet another trey with 1:59 to play.
Oakridge quickly knocked down two treys early in the fourth to put some game pressure on Whitehall, cutting the lead to 32-22. With the offense not clicking the way they'd prefer, the Vikings took a conservative approach, running clock with the ball and daring Oakridge to take it from Schultz. The Eagles were never able to do so.
After a lengthy dribbling session from Schultz ended with an Oakridge foul in the final minutes, Milliron let Schultz know he had confidence in her to handle the ball. For good measure, Schultz knocked down both free throws, capping her scoring for the night at 17 points.
"I have confidence in this kid because she was the boys' manager for a number of years," Milliron said. "She's grown up with the game. Her dad coached. Her uncle coached. Her cousins all played ball. Yes, she's a sophomore, but when it comes to confidence at the end, I think it's great to have her with the ball in her hands."
The Vikings weren't operating at full strength, Milliron said, as several players are dealing with sickness. However, the effort was very strong for the bulk of the game. Milliron said playing a third consecutive dominating half against Oakridge following the impressive game they played Feb. 20 might have affected the Vikings' mentality going into the second half.
"We're just not a team good enough to do that," Milliron said. "That's the story that we've been having, and if we think you're going to beat Oakridge (just) because you already beat Oakridge twice, it's not going to happen. I thought in the first half they saw that."
Clare Westerlund battled foul trouble but still racked up 11 rebounds to go with eight points. She also blocked two shots. Emma Decker pulled in six boards.
Oakridge's two seniors, Cambria Guenthardt and Reyonna Morris, combined for 20 of the Eagles' 25 points, but Milliron said Oakridge coach Saxon Smith has the Eagles on a path to return to their former perch as one of the area's best teams. In the meantime, Whitehall hopes for a better offensive game Wednesday.
"We missed a lot of layups, especially in the first half. If we're going to beat Fruitport, we can't do that," Milliron said. "It should be a dogfight. They're healthy. I know they had some health issues earlier on. They're back to as close to 100 percent as they have been. They've got some good ballplayers over there."
