By Bud Milroy
Sports correspondent
The Catholic Central High School boys’ basketball team stumbled out of the 2012 gate Tuesday, dropping a 55-38 contest at Waterford to the Wolverines.
Despite hitting four 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Hilltoppers trailed 22-14 after the first period.
“Waterford is a physically more mature squad and they were able to move us around pretty good,” said CCHS coach Eric Henderson. “They were aggressive on both ends of the floor and we struggled.”
Neither team could muster much offense in the second quarter, and CCHS’s Rayce Wadsworth hit a 3-pointer with just a minute left in the second for the Hilltoppers’ only points.
The Hilltoppers’ 20 first-half turnovers as much as the Wolverines’ defense was responsible for the low production.
“I was pleased with the effort from our guys overall,” Henderson said. “There was a stretch in the third quarter where we looked defeated and Waterford stretched the lead, but overall we hung in there.
“We need to focus on playing at a high energy and effort level on a consistent basis.
Wadsworth led Catholic Central with 10 points. Waterford had three players reach double figures – Greg Steffens with 13, Jake Steffens with 12 and Dustin Schindler with 10.
The Hilltoppers also dropped their game at the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout Dec. 28 57-47 to Grafton. Henderson said the team came out flat, which was reflected in a 13-4 first period.
“We looked like a team that had been off for a few days,” Henderson said. “We had a terrible first quarter and could never recover.”
Wadsworth led the Hilltoppers with 14 points, while Abel Wagner pitched in nine.
The Hilltoppers begin a critical two-week stretch on Saturday with a trip to Kenosha St. Joseph. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“We’ll be looking to identify a solid seven- or eight-man rotation that gives us that consistent level of play heading into the playoffs,” Henderson said.
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