Boys Basketball: Highland cruises past Whiting

Updated: December 27, 2011 10:26PM

Four minutes into the first quarter, Whiting’s historic 7-0 start to their basketball season was history. Highland raced out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back as the Trojans defeated the Oilers 68-37 in the opening round of the Calumet Holiday Tournament.

“Our guys did a good job of being focused and really respecting Whiting,” said Highland coach Ed Fierek. “We moved the ball really well and tried to get the ball into the paint.”

With all due respect to Whiting, Highland is off to a pretty good start of its own this season. The Trojans’ 6-1 record is their best since the 2005-06 season, when Highland went on to finish 18-6. If Tuesday’s game was any indication, this season might eclipse that campaign.

“We’ve got good length, guys that can handle the ball, guys that can hit shots,” Fierek said. “We’re a pretty well-balanced team with a lot of depth.”

Highland was up 28-10 at the half, allowing only three Whiting field goals in the half, each courtesy of the Oilers’ Matt Filipek. The Trojans got 11 points apiece from Nick Hardrict and Jordan Minch and 10 points from Justin Thiele, including a pair of 3-pointers. Hardrict added four rebounds and four assists, while Minch pulled down six rebounds. Filipek led all scorers with 14 points and his six field goals were twice as many as the rest of his team combined.

“We have to learn from this,” said Whiting coach Derrick Milenkoff. “Come sectional time, this is the type of athleticism we’re going to see with the Bishop Nolls and the Bowmans.”

In Tuesday’s earlier contests, Lake Station’s 55-50 win over Gavit ran the Eagles’ record to 3-1, with the lone loss coming in overtime to Bishop Noll. Demetrius Adams led Lake Station with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Calumet captured the other quarterfinal victory in the bracket with a 95-20 romp over Gary Lighthouse Academy.

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