Basketball Preview: Whitko Wildcats vs. Garrett Railroaders
Whitko has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Garrett Railroaders at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Garrett took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Whitko, who comes in off a win.
In what's become a running theme this season, Whitko gave their fans yet another huge victory on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 67-37 win over North Miami at home. Given Whitko's advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 163rd, while the Warriors are ranked 423rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Whitko to victory, but perhaps none more so than Sam Essegian, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyler Krull, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Garrett's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their sixth straight defeat. They took a hard 49-32 fall against Fairfield.
Whitko's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Garrett, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-12 record this season.
Whitko was able to grind out a solid win over the Railroaders when the teams last played back in February of 2023, winning 53-44. The rematch might be a little tougher for Whitko since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
