Whiteland’s Wiatt McLaughlin, center, shoots while defended Shelbyville’s Mar Nicholson, left, and Cole Schene during Tuesday’s sectional game.
Mike Wolanin | For the Daily Journal
ST. LEON
Wiatt McLaughlin generally hasn’t been Whiteland’s primarily ballhandler or point producer this season, but with point guard and leading scorer Jazz Banwait sick and sitting behind the bench in street clothes, McLaughlin assumed both roles with aplomb.
The 6-foot-1 senior took over the point guard role and scored all 18 of his points in the second half to help the Warriors pull away for a 63-54 win against Shelbyville in the opening round of the Class 4A East Central Sectional.
“I knew my role would be bigger, but I knew my teammates would be there to help me out as well,” McLaughlin said. “We all played as a team to get the job done.”
McLaughlin did have plenty of help. Ethan Edwards scored 15 points, and Gavin Stubbe added 14 points and six rebounds. Akol Akol had nine points, and Spencer Gillespie chipped in seven.
The Warriors (15-10) jumped out to a 16-11 lead after one quarter, but the Golden Bears (11-12) took a 23-19 lead with three minutes left in the first half. A 3-pointer by Edwards sparked a 7-0 run to end the half and a 13-2 run overall that put Whiteland in the driver’s seat.
“I feel like we just drove the ball harder and played together as a team,” McLaughlin said.
The Warriors built an 11-point lead, only to see Shelbyville rally to within 42-38 with 6:20 remaining. But Whiteland responded with a 9-0 run, capped by a basket and three-point play from McLaughlin.
“We got in foul trouble there in the first half,” Whiteland coach Nate Cangany said. “We were already down Jazz Banwait, and Wiatt McLaughlin picked up two really quick early fouls, so it kind of put him in a position where he couldn’t be very aggressive. We did get him back in the second quarter, and he was playing with two and he wasn’t his aggressive self. When we came out in the third quarter, we said, ‘Hey, you have to go now.’”
Cangany is hoping Banwait will be able to play in Friday’s semifinal against Franklin.
“I think early in the game, we were also trying to get adjusted to playing without Jazz,” Cangany said. “He’s our senior leader, he’s our captain and he told me, ‘I’ve got to be there for my guys.’ He felt awful, but he was here. We just pray that he’s back Friday.”
The Warriors and Grizzly Cubs, who have split a pair of games this season, will play the second semifinal on Friday. Columbus East and host East Central will meet in the opener at 6 p.m.
It’s going to be a great Indiana high school basketball game,” Cangany said. “Friday night, semifinal sectional game. Two good teams who have played two really close games already. If you’re a fan, you really need to be here Friday night because it should be another good one.”