FRUITPORT – Last season, the early part of the schedule was the best part for the Fruitport girls basketball team.
The Trojans got off to a 5-1 start and headed into the post-holiday conference season with some momentum.
This season is starting off a bit differently for the Trojans, who let a late lead slip away and lost to Whitehall 40-33 on Tuesday in a low-scoring contest at home.
The Trojans, who fell to 0-2 on the season, nearly got their first win. They opened the fourth quarter by taking a four-point lead, but could not hold on down the stretch, due to a barrage of Whitehall free throws.
[1]Whitehall has now beaten Fruitport six straight times, dating back to 2018.
Fruitport head coach Brian Packard was happy with his team’s defensive effort, but said the Trojans’ lack of offense proved to be the difference.
Fruitport held the Vikings to just 4, 6 and 9 points through the first three quarters, respectively.
But the Trojans scored only 5, 8 and 6 points in the same quarters, so the game stayed close until Whitehall pulled away at the end.
[2]“I feel like we did a really good job of pressuring them, we worked on that a great deal of practice,” Packard said. “Our shooting percentage was really bad in the first quarter. We had the girls we wanted taking the shots. If they are able to make half of those shots this game may have been different.”
Izabel Hanson-Wilbur hit a triple and Lily Johnson added a bucket in the first quarter, and Fruitport led 5-4 heading into the second.
Kenzie Pate had five points in the second quarter, and Hanson-Wilbur hit two free throws, allowing the Trojans to make it to halftime with a 13-10 lead.
Whitehall had a 9-6 advantage in the third quarter, and the game was tied at 19-19 heading into the fourth.
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McKenzie Beardsley scored five points in the third for the Trojans.
Fruitport opened up the final quarter with a 5-1 run and led 24-20 after about 90 seconds, but then Whitehall got hot, going on a 19-9 run over the balance of the game to steal the win.
The Vikings put the game away at the free throw line, sinking 12 shots in the fourth quarter. Lexi Daggett and Lianne Fagan each scored seven points in the fourth quarter for Whitehall.
“Our experience is just low, we have a majority who are new to the varsity game,” Packard said. “We do a lot of great things on defense that will really make life miserable for our opponents, but it also has to be about making shots.”
[5]Beardsley led Fruitport with nine points while Kenzie Pate and Hanson-Wilbur each finished with eight.
Daggett finished with a game-high 18 points for Whitehall.
The Trojans will host rival Spring Lake on Friday night.
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