LUDINGTON — Whitehall junior forward Kal Koehler has had some big moments during his Vikings’ career, but likely none bigger than when he grabbed an offensive rebound with just five seconds left in a tied game at Ludington Friday night.
A less confident player might have kicked the ball out for an outside shooter. Koehler, though, was already enjoying one of his best career games, and he had the confidence to go up with the shot himself.
He was fouled, and after a Ludington timeout to ice him, coolly knocked down both free throws, giving himself 20 points on the night. Teammate Camden Thompson then stole the inbounds pass to secure a thrilling 64-62 victory.
“One of the things I’m most proud of him for is taking the shot that he got fouled on,” Whitehall coach Christian Subdon said. “He could have turned that ball over, and they (had) a time out to burn too. But he decided to take the shot and give us a chance.”
The clutch free throws capped one of Koehler’s best varsity games. He ended the night with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Thompson had 14 points, 15 boards and six assists.
“I was extremely confident,” Koehler said of his mindset at the line. “Me and my dad put in the work every day at the free throw line, getting work in after practice.”
Koehler’s heroics were only necessary due to an impressive fourth-quarter comeback by Ludington. The Vikings (9-0, 4-0 WMC Lakes) held a 52-40 lead after three thanks to a 14-2 run to end the frame. The hosts, backed by a raucous crowd, responded with some clutch shots to open the fourth quarter, including a couple of treys by Spencer Holmes. The second of those shots gave Ludington a 59-58 lead, setting the stage for a thrilling final stretch.
“Credit Ludington,” Subdon said. “There were many opportunities for them to give in and they didn’t. We thought we had them broken and they didn’t (break). We took the foot off the gas, a couple bad play calls on my part, a couple clutch (shots) on their part. It was just good, all-around basketball.”
Whitehall called timeout on its next possession, and Thompson fed Koehler for a go-ahead basket with 1:52 to play. Then David Shillinger, Ludington’s all-time leading scorer, drilled a huge three to put his team back on top, 62-60, giving him 18 points for the game. Thompson responded with a tying jump shot.
After a defensive stop, Koehler’s big second-chance points gave Whitehall the win.
It was a win made all the more impressive because Thompson, a 20/20 machine so far this season, didn’t have to carry as much of the load. Naturally, though, he still made the game-clinching play.
“If that’s (him) not playing well, I’ll take it,” Subdon smiled.
“Shillinger is the guy, so of course they’re going to try to get the ball back to him,” Thompson said, breaking down the steal. “I just anticipated and got pretty lucky.”
Not only was the Vikings’ win a massive one in the league race - the two teams tied for the conference title last year, only losing to one another - it also enabled Whitehall to gain valuable crunch-time reps in a hostile environment. The Vikes hadn’t faced such a situation this year prior to Friday.
Subdon was hoping to encounter situations like that when he put together this year’s schedule, which included only seven home games out of 22.
“We’re trying to put ourselves in situations that are not friendly to us,” Subdon said. “We do that to prepare for Fruitport (and the districts). This looked just like it sounded (last year at Fruitport), it’s just that it was orange and black rather than navy. We’ve just got to keep getting better. We can’t put our hat on this record. We’ve got to continue to grow.”
Whitehall, though, was able to take the evening to enjoy its most taxing win yet, with the knowledge that the experience has made them even better.
“I just think it’s a win we deserve,” Koehler said. “We gained the ability to work better as a team...We earned it.”
