MONTAGUE – One of the most difficult tests of a long season in any sport is a long road swing.

The Whitehall basketball team had to play its eighth straight game on the road on Tuesday, and to complicate matters had to visit neighboring rival Montague in a very loud gym.

The game remained predictably tight from start to finish, with the largest lead for either team being just six points.

But the Vikings proved to be up to the challenge, nailing crucial free throws in the last couple of minutes to earn a 52-46 victory over the Wildcats in a key West Michigan Conference battle.

The victory gave Whitehall its fifth straight victory, and a 7-1 record in the long string of away games.

The Vikings are now 8-2 in league play, good for a first-place tie with Ravenna. Whitehall will play most of its remaining games at home, which will be a big advantage as the regular season winds down.

“Whenever you play in a rivalry game it doesn’t matter if you’re playing well and the other team is not, it’s still going to be a dog fight,” said Whitehall coach Christian Subdon. “Give credit to Montague, they played very hard.

“What set us over the edge was to keep fighting, and we have been battle-tested in the league this season.”

The Vikings needed to make their shots when the outcome was in doubt, and they did that by going 10-for-12 from the free throw line over the final 2:24.

Red Watson was very successful from the charity strip, going 6-for-7, which included four free throws in the final two minutes of the contest.

“I was calm during the free throws because we have been practicing them a lot,” Watson said. “At the beginning of the season I couldn’t hit them. The coach made us do a lot of free throws because our percentage was way down.”

Watson finished the night with eight points, along with teammate Isaac DeHart. Camden Thompson paced Whitehall with 15 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards.

The Vikings trailed 5-0 early but closed out the first quarter by going on a 13-5 run to take a 13-10 advantage into the second.

Both teams struggled to score during the second quarter. Montague finished with an 8-5 edge and the score was tied 18-18 at halftime.

The teams exchanged baskets early in the second half, then Whitehall went on a 6-0 run to take a 26-20 lead with 5:28 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats responded with nine straight points to take a 29-26 lead with 3:41 remaining in the third.

The Vikings closed out the third quarter strong by going on an 8-4 run to take a slim 34-33 lead into the fourth.

Montague had a 41-37 advantage with 5:14 left in the contest, but the Vikings finished the game by going on a 15-5 tear. The Vikings made 12 free throws during that run, plus a three-pointer.

Montague was paced by Tugg Nichols with 11 points, while Tate Stine added nine and Owen Raeth chipped in with eight.

“We needed to take care of the basketball,” said Montague coach Dave Osborne. “We made some bad decisions and the other team capitalized.”

The Wildcats are now 9-5 on the season overall and 5-5 in league play.