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Trojans pick up first victory

The Whitehall High School boys basketball team picked up their first win of the season last Friday with a 52-35 win over Great Falls Central.

The Trojans started strong at the game played as part of the Manhattan Tip-Off Tournament and would double up the Mustangs with a 28-14 halftime lead.

Head Coach Zach McLean was pleased with the way his team bounced back from a tough season-opening loss to a strong Manhattan Christian team.

"I'm proud of the way they responded. We kind of ran into a 'buzzsaw' the other night and tonight we came out ready to play. I think the big part is that we brought the fight to them. Last week Manhattan Christian brought the fight to us. They played hard and they played together," he said.

Whitehall was led in scoring by sophomore standout Brendan Wagner who had a game-high 18 points. McLean said Wagner is playing point guard for the team and facing a lot of pressure from the opposing defense. He was proud of how he handled himself against Central.

"I thought he did a great job of protecting the ball," he said.

Flint Smith was also in double figures with 10 points including two dunks off of steals.

To McLean, it was no surprise to see Smith have a breakout game.

"What really surprised me was his energy level after the dunks. I told him he was a different demon after those plays. That's the kid I see all the time in practice. He just has to believe in himself," McLean said.

Also scoring for Whitehall were Hayden Hoagland with eight, Kenzie Hugulet with seven, and Dylan Smith with six.

The Trojans were unable to pick up consecutive wins at the tournament and fell Saturday 67-53 to Powell County High School.

Whitehall will open their home season this week with a Thursday game against rival Boulder and a Friday contest against Three Forks.

 

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