Lake passes 800 in 74-47 win

OTTAWA LAKE — If you blinked during Tuesday’s Whiteford basketball win over Emmanuel Christian, you might have missed Colin Lake’s 34 points.

Lake scored quickly and in bunches Tuesday during an impressive, 23-point first half, leading the Bobcats to the win and a 4-1 season record. It was a non-league matchup.

The Bobcats started fast and coasted to the win.

Austin Gardner controlled the offensive boards early scoring 5 early points as the Bobcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead.  With the score 11-6, Lake went on his first scoring spree, starting with a 3-pointer with 3:28 left in the opening stanza. By the end of the quarter, Lake had 15 points.

Any hopes that Emmanuel Christian had of getting back into the game vanished in the second quarter as Zach Perry broke free for two long layups, then piled up four assists in the quarter as Lake scored six points in the last minute to extend Whiteford’s halftime lead to 43-21.

The Bobcats coasted in the second half.

Perry finished with 12 points and Chris Sims 8 in the win.

Lake now has 819 points in has 42 career games and is averaging 27.8 points a game this season.

Whiteford hosts Britton-Deerfield Friday in a varsity doubleheader. The boys game starts at 5:30 p.m.

The box score:

EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN (47)

Jason Regnier 1 0-0 3, Bobby Behan 3 0-0 8, Leland Snyder 3 0-0 7, Adam Regnier 1 0-0 3, Ryan Creech 7 2-4 16, Trent Groenhout 2 0-0 4, Nate Creech 0 0-2 0, Joe Taylor 3 0-0 6. Totals 20 2-6 47. Three-point field goals: Jason Regnier, Behan 2, Snyder, Adam Regnier. Score by quarters: 10-11-18-8.

WHITEFORD (74)

Chris Sims 4 0-0 8, Colin Lake 13 6-6 34, Zach Perry 6 0-0 12, Tyler Lee 2 0-0 5, Troy Diller 2 1-2 6, Austin Gardner 2 1-2 5, Austin Morris 2 0-0 4. Totals 31 8-10 74. Three-point field goals: Lake 2, Lee, Diller. Score by quarters: 26-17-19-12.

Kiefer again comes through in clutch for Bobcats

By DOUG DONNELLY

DUNDEE — Jordan Kiefer is getting used to making big plays for the Whiteford Bobcats. 
With the Bobcats clinging to a 34-33 lead with under three minutes remaining Monday against Dundee, Kiefer broke away for a full court layup to give the Bobcats a 36-33 lead. Thirty seconds later, she hit a pair of free throws to widen the lead as the Bobcats held on for a 42-38 victory.

Kiefer finished the game with 11 points. In Friday’s win over Whitmore Lake, Kiefer scored 15, including several fourth quarter points to secure that win for the 4-2 Bobcats.

Whiteford’s leading scorer, Janie Bunge, missed her second straight game, nursing an ankle injury.

The Bobcats led at halftime, 21-14, but second half foul trouble almost did in the visitors. A Shawna Bucher field goal made it 30-20 but Dundee closed the gap to 30-26 before the end of the third quarter. A series of Dundee free throws and eight fourth-quarter Bobcat turnovers kept the Vikings in the game.

Vanessa Ewing grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 2:15 left to make the score 40-36. A free throw with 42 seconds left cut the lead to 40-37 before two more Kiefer free throws put the game away for the Bobcats.

Two Bobcats fouled out and without Bunge, only eight Bobcats played in the game.

Whiteford’s JV also won.

Varsity doubleheader tonight

Whiteford boys and girls varsity teams will play a doubleheader tonight at home against Whitmore Lake.

The boys varsity game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. with the girls varsity to start about 20 minutes after that game.

Whiteford’s boys are 2-1 on the season while Whiteford’s girls are off to a 3-2 start.

Both teams had big wins Tuesday over rival Summerfield.

Bobcats beat Summerfield, 57-25

PETERSBURG — When Summerfield’s best player had to take a seat on the bench for committing two fouls in the game’s first 2:30, Whiteford’s Janie Bunge stepped up and quickly ended any hope the Bulldogs had at winning their first game of the season.

Bunge scored 18 points Tuesday as the Bobcats beat Summerfield, 57-25, to move to 3-2 on the season and 2-1 in the TCC.

Nine of those points came during a 14-0 Whiteford run that began when Summerfield’s Dani Gallagher went to the bench with two first quarter fouls.

With the score tied at 2-2, Gallagher committed her second foul, forcing Bulldog coach Josh Sweigert to take her out of the game. Bunge hit a pair of free throws then three straight layups – two off steals of her own – then found Emily Ritzenthaler open for a 3-pointer that gave Whiteford a 14-2 lead.

Ten Bobcats scored in all. Bunge added 8 steals and 2 assists. Starter Kaleigh Funchion didn’t score, but led the team with 5 rebounds.

Gallagher fought off foul trouble to score 15 for the 0-5 Bulldogs.

WHITEFORD (57)

Wingate 2 1-3 5, Funchion 0 0-4 0, Bunge 7 4-4 18, Stone 2 0-0 4, Reutz 1 0-0 2, Brodbeck 1 1-2 3, Bucher 3 0-0 6, Donnelly 1 0-0 2, Perry 1 0-0 2, Ritzenthaler 3 0-2 8, Kiefer 3 0-0 7. Totals 24 6-15 51. Three-point field goals: Bunge 1, Ritzenthaler 2, Kiefer 1. Score by quarters: 14-10-18-13.

SUMMERFIELD (25)

Wahl 1 0-0 2, Gallagher 5 4-4 15, Rico 0 1-2 1, Stahl 0 0-4 0, Crots 0 0-2 0, Ostrosky 1 2-4 5, Breitner 0 2-2 2. Totals 7 9-18 25. Three-point field goals: Gallagher 1, Ostroksy 1. Score by quarters: 4-9-7-5.

Work on park prairie continues

By DOUG DONNELLY

The Nature Conservancy recently completed a few days of clearing the underbrush at the Whiteford Stoneco Community Park at the corner of Whiteford and Sterns Rds.

The Conservancy has been working on about 14 acres of the park for months now, working to restore the native alvar prairie to the wooded area on township owned park property.

Eventually, Nature Conservancy officials say, box turtles, grassland, birds, butterflies and natural grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass, should reappear on the site.

The woods are being cleared from the ground up, allowing more sunlight to hit the ground and helping to restore the natural prairie.

Michael Losey, crew leader with the Nature Conservancy, said the non-profit agency will continue its work on the 14 acres, including removing some of the garbage that has been dumped onto the site.

“We will determine if we need a Dumpster or something back there,” he said.

The woods were mostly inaccessible prior to the conservancy starting the project less than a year ago. Today, visitors to the park can walk through the woods.

The township hopes to further work on the site and try and obtain grants to fund more work on the woods.

Whiteford did win a $3,000 grant about a year ago from the Monroe County Environmental Health Fund and is using the first portion of that money to purchase a picnic table and a bench for the park. The second half of the money could be used for signs and the walking trail to encourage use of the wooded area and the newly-restored alvar prairie.

Losey previously told township officials that the prairie is so rare that only a couple are thought to still exist in the western Lake Erie Basin.

The work is being done at no cost or liability to the township.

Whiteford vs. Summerfield TV times

Tonight’s boys basketball game between Whiteford and Summerfield will be broadcast on Buckeye  Cable Sports Network at 11:30 p.m. tonight and again at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Whiteford girls lose to Sand Creek, 59-44

By DOUG DONNELLY

OTTAWA LAKE — Sand Creek’s Herriman twins were two too much for the Whiteford Bobcat girls basketball team Friday.

The Aggies duo got 26 points from Elizabeth Herriman and 17 from Gabrielle Herriman, leading the visiting Sand Creek team to a 59-44 Tri-County Conference win.

Whiteford stayed close with the Aggies early on. A Kaleigh Funchion free throw gave the Bobcats a 17-15 lead with 4:03 remaining in the first half. That is where the highlight reel ended for the Bobcats.

Gabrielle Herriman scored on a couple of free throws, Mikaela McCarty hit a jumper, Elizabeth Herriman nailed one of her three triples and followed it with a running layup and two more Gabrielle Herriman baskets later the Aggies led by 11 going into halftime, 28-17.

Whiteford cut the lead to 4 points early in the second half, but Elizabeth Herriman once again took command, making three straight field goals, two off Bobcat turnovers, to stretch the lead further.

The fourth quarter was much the same as the Aggies dribbled away much of the clock while holding a 10-point lead and the Bobcats never really threatened. Sand Creek scored the final six points of the game.

Bethany Wingate scored 11 points for the Bobcats, the only player to reach double figures for Whiteford. Kaleigh Funchion had 15 rebounds.

As a team, the Bobcats shot 15 for 56 for the game and committed 26 turnovers.

McKarty suppored the Herriman twins with 10 points.

The Bobcats play at Summerfield Tuesday.

Whiteford took the JV game against Sand Creek, 43-6.