The White Hawks boys basketball team started a full, three-game week with Orono on Jan. 9. Westonka fought hard, but Orono’s deep bench and high shooting percentage was used to their advantage to push the game out of reach early in the second half.  The Spartans won 79-55.

Next up for the White Hawks was Southwest Christian on Jan. 11. This game was a battle from the start, with both teams showcasing elite offensive play. The Stars took an early lead, but the White Hawks would answer, holding onto a small lead at half, 45-44.

The second half continued to be a back-and-forth game, with junior Brenden Sexton making a 3-point shot with 20 seconds to go to push the game into overtime. In overtime, the trading of scores continued until the Stars secured a key offensive rebound and putback to push their lead to three. The White Hawks narrowly missed a 3-point shot to tie the game again, and the Stars were victorious, 92-88. Junior Cole Drill led Westonka with 26 points, and senior Bryce Tappen had a hot shooting night, chipping in 11 points.

The White Hawks were off to St. Francis on Jan. 13 for a non-conference matchup. The Hawks quickly took a double digit lead and held onto the lead from wire to wire. The Fighting Saints didn’t give up, however, and a few times attempted comebacks, including cutting the Westonka lead to seven a few times. The White Hawks finished the game at the free throw line with a 80-70 win.

Junior Max Kraay led Westonka with 30 points, and senior Carter Reinbold achieved his season high of 16 points. Both players were perfect from the free throw line to ice the game. Junior Jacob Orenge was great operating the offense with eight rebounds and five assists.

The White Hawks return to action this week, traveling to St. Anthony Village on Tuesday, Jan. 16 and hosting Holy Family Catholic on Friday, Jan. 19.