Wolverines open season with dramatic victory
By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
There might be no better way to open the season than a last-second, buzzer-beating victory.
A layup as time expired gave the Waterford High School boys basketball team a 53-51 victory against non-conference opponent Racine Lutheran Nov. 25 at home.
A defensive miscommunication by Lutheran allowed Collin Chart a clean drive of the lane and he connected with the game-winner as time expired.
“We had a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter and managed to blow all of that and more,” Waterford coach Mikel Mala said. “They applied pressure and we panicked a little.”
The Crusaders led 51-48 with 90 seconds left. The Wolverines’ Ross Gunderson hit a three and tied the score at 51-51.
Lutheran attempted to run off some clock, but a Crusader dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds with six seconds left. Waterford inbounded and got the ball to half-court with two seconds left before Chart’s heroics.
The Wolverines did not fare as well in their second game of the season. Waterford lost 71-60 at Greendale.
The Wolverines led 29-21 before being outscored 30-8 in the third quarter. Waterford rebounded in the fourth quarter and outscored Greendale 23-20.
Chart led Waterford with 23 points. Ross Gunderson added 11. Josh Michaels led Greendale with 27, one of three Panthers in double figures.
The Wolverines will play smaller this season after losing some height to graduation.
“We lost two 6-4, 6-5 kids, so we’re trying to play a little bit different,” Mala said. “We’ll be a little more perimeter-based this year, whereas last year we were more interior-based.”
Trace Hunsucker will play point guard for the Wolverines, and Mala said “he is one of the most important pieces we have. He gets us into what we need to do and is a calm presence.”
Chart is an excellent on-ball defender and a slasher on offense who earned the nickname “Giannis” in practice for perceived similarities to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gunderson is another perimeter sharpshooter.
“We’re definitely going to be more up-tempo,” Mala said. “The early focus has been on getting out in transition a little bit more.”
Luke Engel, Chris Saltzmann, Dyln Ross, Drew Blair, Michael Schmidt, Sam Hagen, Austin Kaul and Austin Triantafelo are also expected to contribute.
Mala said the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook picked Waterford to finish fourth in the Southern Lakes Conference. Mala said there is no dominant team in the SLC this season. Mala said he expected Burlington, Wilmot, Badger and Waterford to be strong in the SLC this season.
“We like our chances,” Mala said. “We’re definitely going to look better in January.”
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