WHITEHALL — For the second year in a row, Spring Lake brought Whitehall's season to a stunning and premature conclusion Wednesday night, as the Vikings fell 46-44 in a district semifinal showdown.
The Lakers scored the winning basket in the final minute on a third-chance tip-in at the rim, and Whitehall was unable to get on the board again.
Just like the previous season, when the Lakers upset undefeated Whitehall, they snuck by Whitehall on the strength of remarkable execution on defense and clutch shooting.
Every time Viking star Camden Thompson touched the ball, he was swarmed by Laker defenders. It's a mark of how good Thompson is that he still shot 50 percent from the field and went for 29 points and 14 rebounds, but Whitehall didn't quite hit enough shots to win.
"They're just a phenomenal defensive team," Vikings' coach Christian Subdon said of Spring Lake. "They had a good game plan. They doubled Cam. They made shots tough, and we didn't hit shots when we had the opportunities."
Whitehall (17-6) connected on only three three-pointers in 18 attempts Wednesday, half the number it made in a regular-season win over the Lakers.
The third of those, though, appeared to put the Vikings in the driver's seat; Brock Morningstar drilled an open trey early in the fourth quarter to give Whitehall its biggest lead at 39-32. But Spring Lake, which every year seems to bring its best to the postseason, scored the next 11 points - the first seven of those by Jaden Core, who led Spring Lake with 20 points.
Whitehall did respond to that 11-0 run with a Thompson three-point play with 2:44 to go, making it 43-42 Lakers; Thompson played at times as if he would continue to attack the basket provided he could walk.
"You never know when your last game is so you've got to really give it your all," Thompson said. "It doesn't matter if your body feels like it's pushing the limit. You've just got to go. That's just the mindset."
Unfortunately, after that, the Vikings came up empty a few times in a row, but even then their defense kept them in the game. Thompson went 1-on-3 and scored with just under a minute to go to give Whitehall a 44-43 lead, but that set Spring Lake up for the dramatic win.
Whitehall's final chance came when the Lakers' bid to intentionally miss the second of two free throws with 1.6 seconds left - to keep the Vikes from setting up a play - backfired when the miss didn't hit the rim, making it a dead-ball turnover and giving Whitehall a chance to inbound the ball. The pass came to Thompson at midcourt, who hit a streaking Osborne in stride for a pretty good look that came up empty.
The intensity of the game was remarkable, owing at least in part to the raucous crowd supporting each side. It seemed hard to believe anyone on the court had much left in the tank at the final buzzer.
"I think you could say that about this group for the entirety of their careers," Subdon said. "There hasn't been a game where you're watching it thinking they didn't give it all. I think they can hang their hat on that. They did a lot for our community and for our school and myself personally. I'll have a special place in my heart for all these guys for a long time."
The Vikings graduate several seniors, including Morningstar, Kal Koehler and Finn Muller, who played big roles on this year's team, and Subdon praised each one after the game. Of course, there's no void like the one Thompson will leave, as he holds virtually every notable career record at the school.
"I came in with him (as the varsity coach)," Subdon said. "I watched him grow up. I've been through a lot with him - injuries and road trips and hundreds of (basketball) games and football games. It's going to be tough to watch him go, but he's going to do big things whatever he does."
"It's an amazing place," Thompson echoed of Whitehall. "I love everyone here. A great group of coaches. They're all like other dads to me. They taught me a lot these past four years."
Jaden Core scored 20 points for the Lakers, who advanced to Friday's district finals and a date with Oakridge.
