By Jason Arndt
Editor
Waterford coach Paul Charapata wanted his boys basketball team to play disciplined and with a purpose in a Jan. 10 Southern Lakes Conference meeting against Wilmot.
Considering the Wolverines opened with a 10-0 advantage, which propelled them to 35-27 halftime edge, Waterford’s plan worked to near perfection even as the Panthers battled back in the second half.
Waterford, in spite of being outscored 42-40 in the second half, came away with a 75-69 victory.
The Wolverines, who improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in league play, have won three consecutive games while the Panthers dropped to 4-5 and 2-3.
Collectively, the Wolverines shot 52.6 percent, and went 12-for-17 from the free throw line.
“We wanted to pass the ball against the press. We had a lot of good looks,” said Charapata, adding his team showed a deliberate and disciplined game plan.
Wolverines senior Hunter Karpinski, who went 9 of 16 in field goals, finished with a team-leading 21 points along with 13 rebounds.
Karpinski, a 6-foot-2 guard, has compiled three double doubles this season, including two in the last three games.
“Hunter is good around the basket, he is aggressive, there is no stopping him as long as he runs,” Charapata said.
Senior teammate Cam Glembin concurred with Charapata and indicated Karpinski played well in transition.
“(Hunter) had a lot of fast break layups and steals and was smart in decision-making,” said Glembin, who is also having a career season of his own.
Glembin, a 6-1 guard, made 7 of 18 shots to tally 18 points along with three blocks.
Glembin’s 18 points comes after he knocked in a career-high 29 points in a non-conference game against Milwaukee Reagan on Jan. 8.
“Cam had a great night, he was a little off on his shooting by his own standards,” Charapata said. “He holds himself to a very high standard.”
Junior Trevor Hancock went 7-for-8 from field goal range and tallied 14 points while pitching in six assists along with seven rebounds.
Jack Brekke, also a junior, chipped in 11 points.
Panthers’ Glass closes gap
Wilmot junior London Glass, according to Charapata, became a challenge for his team in the second half.
Glass, held to three points entering halftime, exploded with 23 second-half points to finish with a game-high 26.
“Glass had a magnificent second half, we did everything we could to slow him down,” said Charapata, noting the Wolverines switched defensive schemes to contain the sharpshooter.
Erbentraut believes Glass found his flow in the second half, thanks to the Panthers’ quick transition.
“We have always preached that our defense is our offense,” he said. “If we can generate something on defense, get on transition, big things can happen and (Glass) got into the flow of things.”
Junior Kevin Sandman finished with 14 points while senior Hunter Lindsay had 12 for Wilmot.
Duo delivers
The Wolverines, meanwhile, have won four of their last five games and play at Burlington Friday (4-6, 2-3).
Glembin and Karpinski have played key roles in the Wolverines’ hot streak.
While Glembin knocked in a career best, Karpinski accomplished a similar milestone on Jan. 3, when he scored 32 points and collected 11 rebounds in the Wolverines’ 66-60 non-conference win at Greendale.
“We have been playing since fifth grade together,” Glembin said. “We have really good chemistry. We know each other’s games well and compliment each other.”
For the full story, see the Jan. 17 edition of the Waterford Post
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