The White Hawks boys basketball team traveled to Mankato West to begin 2024 and came away with a 71-69 win. Led by senior captain Carter Reinbold and junior captains Max Kraay and Cole Drill, this was truly a team win.

The White Hawks worked hard the first half and had an eight-point lead before some unfortunate turnovers resulted in the Scarlets working their way back and ending the half with a 27-26 lead.

The White Hawks started the second half with a lot of energy, but points were still hard to come by. With a minute left and down by four, the White Hawks got two key defensive stops. Kraay made a pair of key free throws with three seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Both teams traded baskets most of overtime, but the White Hawks scored on a backdoor cut by Reinbold with two seconds remaining to win the game. Kleinsasser kept Mankato West's leading scorer to just 10 points. Kraay led the White Hawks in scoring with 31. Junior Brenden Sexton had 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and no turnovers to push the White Hawks to victory.

Up next is a three-game week, beginning with hosting Orono on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Then on Thursday the White Hawks travel to Southwest Christian to begin conference play, and they end the week at St. Francis on Saturday afternoon.