EDINBURGH — Four of Whiteland’s five starters are between 6-foot-3 and 6-5, and the Warriors played like it Tuesday night.
A dominating rebounding performance and the second chances that come with it led Whiteland to a 63-39 victory at Edinburgh in the first round of the Johnson County boys basketball tournament.
Led by junior forward Chase Ferguson with 13 points and senior swingman Carter Crowe with 12, the Warriors make a return trip to Edinburgh for the county semifinals Friday night. Whiteland (6-5) faces Franklin in the 7:30 p.m. contest.
Whiteland jumped out to a 15-4 lead after one quarter on the strength of 3-pointers from senior guard Luke Helton, Crowe and backup guard Isaiah Davis.
The Warriors’ advantage ballooned to 20 points at halftime and was 23 early in the third quarter when Edinburgh put together a 7-0 scoring run to close to within 40-24. The Lancers got it down to a 14-point spread (42-28) on a layup from guard Darius Bennett, but it was then that Whiteland put the game away with a 16-2 run.
“When you look at Edinburgh and their history in the county tournament, they’ve always played people tough," Whiteland coach Matt Wadsworth said. "I like how we came out of the gate fast.”
Edinburgh (5-8) shot a chilly 11 of 37 from the floor (29.7 percent) and failed to land a player in double figures. Starters Jordan Myers, Bennett and Bryce Burton scored eight points apiece, with Myers snagging a team-high four rebounds.
