Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
WHITEHALL — Camden Thompson and his teammates could get used to the type of environment they experienced Friday night in the nearly packed Whitehall gymnasium.
The Vikings faithful has gotten used to these types of performances from Thompson all season long. Even this was a little more special, however, given the setting, stakes, and circumstances.
Despite battling foul trouble throughout, Thompson delivered a performance for the ages in Whitehall’s 71-62 victory over Ludington in a showdown that served as a de facto West Michigan Conference Lakes Division championship game.
The very active junior wing picked up two first-quarter fouls and consequently spent much more time on the bench than usual, but it didn’t seem to matter. Thompson erupted for 35 points, 22 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 25 minutes of action. He did have eight turnovers and exited the game in the closing moments with his fifth foul, but the Division I prospect finished 15-of-24 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Photo by Courtney Jimison | CatchMark
With the victory, Division 2 fifth-ranked Whitehall (20-0 overall) moves to 10-0 in the WMC Lakes. The Vikings have clinched at least a share of the divisional title — the program’s fourth conference championship in a row — with chances to win it outright in road games against Fremont Tuesday and Oakridge Thursday to close out the regular season.
The following week, Whitehall will play in the Division 2 district tournament at Orchard View.
Ludington (13-6) falls two games behind Whitehall in the WMC Lakes with an 8-2 divisional record. Unlike last season when the teams won on each other’s courts to split the Lakes title, Whitehall swept the season series, picking up a 64-62 victory at Ludington on Jan. 5.
Thompson did all of that with Ferris State football coach Tony Annese, a former basketball coach for Whitehalll’s boys and girls teams, in attendance. Thompson holds football and basketball offers from Division II Ferris State.
Thompson holds offers in either or both sports from a handful of D-I schools. He’s taking a basketball trip to Ann Arbor today for a visit to University of Michigan, where the Wolverines host arch-rival Michigan State. Eastern Michigan University assistant basketball coach Drew Denisco also was on hand for Friday’s Whitehall-Ludington game.
A 6-foot-5, 200-pounder with good body control and athleticism, strong hands, and a motor to match, Thompson had to deal with adversity and stay even-keel in the mental space. His teammates were there to pick him up.
Whitehall junior forward Kal Koehler, who has been consistent all season, added 11 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Senior point guard Kyle Stratton supplied eight points and two assists for the Vikings, while senior guard Ca’Mar Ready delivered five points, three assists, and three rebounds. Senior DJ Jamison had five points and five assists, while junior Brock Morningstar chipped in five points.
David Shillinger, Ludington’s all-time leading boys scorer, had 11 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Orioles tried to climb back into the game. Whitehall outscored Ludington 28-13 in the third quarter to extend a two-point halftime lead to a 53-36 margin entering the fourth.
Ever-improving Ludington sophomore Cameron Gunsell was steady throughout the game with 17 points, while seniors Daniel Ramirez and Gage Jones scored 12 and seven points for the Orioles, respectively.
Photos by Mia Milner for CatchMark
Photos by Shayla Hardy for CatchMark
Photos by Reid Burns for CatchMark
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