Basketball Recap: JD Whetten and Caden Hooper Secure Win for Willcox

There's no place like home for Willcox, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the St. Augustine Catholic Wolves on Thursday, sneaking past 51-49. This was payback for the Cowboys, who suffered a 50-41 defeat the last time these two teams met.

Leading Willcox to victory were Caden Hooper and JD Whetten. Hooper dropped a double-double on 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Whetten almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds. With that strong performance, Hooper is now averaging an impressive 8.2 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Severo Torres, who posted five points.

St. Augustine Catholic's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jovanni Fernandez, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Carlos Acuna, who went 6 of 14 on his way to 14 points and six rebounds.

Willcox pushed their record up to 8-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.2 points per game. As for St. Augustine Catholic, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-9 record this season.

Willcox didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 57-43 defeat against Morenci on the 10th. As for St. Augustine Catholic, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 76-44 loss against Desert Christian on the 14th.