The games were close, each with their own share of lead changes, momentum swings and drama, but when all was said and done Whitewater’s two varsity basketball teams emerged victorious.

The Lady Wildcats trailed Banneker 18-14 at the half but a 10-0 run in the third quarter gave Whitewater a 30-27 lead at the end of the third quarter. Banneker tied the game and took back the lead but key free throws from Victoria Murray and a layup from Jackie Gittins put Whitewater ahead 39-37 with a minute left.

Bannekere tied the game and forced overtime, but in the extra period Whitewater took a lead and never let it go. Madeline Arnold’s four free throws were huge in the Lady Wildcats 50-48 win.

Katie McCreary led Whitewater with 11 points and Jackie Gittins chipped in 10 points.

Northgate’s boys built a 9-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and held on to the lead through the first four minutes of the second quarter, but Whitewater went on an 11- 1 run and tied the game by the half. Towards the end of the third quarter Whitewater’s Renaldo Jenkins and Tom Bohrer each hit three-pointers and gave Whitewater their first lead since the first quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats’ Jonathan Grooms came up huge, scoring 10 of his team high 15 points. Whitewater held on to their lead and won 56-49.

“Grooms gave us a lot of energy off the bench tonight,” said coach Brent Jackson, also heaping praise on freshman guard Renaldo Jenkins who finished with 12 points. “He ran the show for us tonight and really kept the team composed.”

Jabar Olusesi added 13 points for Whitewater.

Both the boys and girls will take on Westlake. The boys will face them at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night and the girls will take on the Lady Lions on Wednesday.

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