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Whittell basketball shoots ahead in preseason hoops

Staff report

It’s still preseason, but the Whittell boys basketball team is off to an impressive start.

The Warriors went 3-1 during last weekend’s tournament at home and now stands at 5-1 overall.

The boys defeated Pyramid Lake 57-35, KIPP Collegiate of San Jose 64-16, lost to KIPP King of San Leandro 60-26, before ending with a 46-44 win over North Tahoe. Highlights included Austin Neil’s 31 points against Pyramid Lake and KIPP Collegiate, a game in which 12 different players put up points for the Warriors.



The Warriors were overmatched in their third game against an athletic team from San Leandro.

“We were much smaller and were ineffective offensively,” head coach Phil Bryant said in email. “We did regroup to play extremely well against North Tahoe.”



Neil was again a leading scorer in the North Tahoe game. He was, however, held to four points and ran into foul trouble, but several teammates stepped up.

Freshman point guard Palmer Chaplin hit three of his three-pointers and finished with nine points. Garrett Bronken went for 13, and Cody Wyatt pulled down eight boards. Mark Waite contributed eight points and five boards. Derek Heldt-Werle had seven points

“We continue to improve and are playing better defense, but really need to continue the growth offensively,” Bryant said. “It’s a challenge, but with hard work and a continued trust in teammates and the coaching staff, we will get it done.”


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