WHITEHALL – It took every last second—literally every…last…second—but Manistee pulled off a wild 55-54 win over Whitehall in a West Michigan Conference Lakes Division thriller Tuesday night.
The Vikings, who knocked off the Mariners 47-34 back in December, looked like they were about to escape with another win after scoring to take a 54-53 lead in the closing moments.
Check out the last second layup below!
Manistee head coach Zach Bialik had other ideas. He called a timeout, drew up a press breaker, and with 0.6 seconds left, senior Kaden Kott sprinted the length of the floor and dropped in the game-winning layup, sealing an unreal comeback for the Mariners.
The win snapped Manistee’s three-game skid and was a much-needed bounce-back after a rough 61-37 loss to Ludington last time out.
Bialik knew what kind of battle they were walking into against a Whitehall team that’s owned the conference this season, but he trusted his guys to step up.
“Obviously, going into every game, we feel we have a chance to win,” Bialik said. “With the group that we have and the style of defense that we play… but, you know, Whitehall is a different animal.”
Even with the challenge, Manistee found a way.
“To come on the road down here and get that outcome… all credit to the kids,” Bialik added. “But, you know, we’re definitely, definitely excited.”
A huge key for Manistee? Controlling the pace and making sure Whitehall never got too comfortable.
“With Camden at their point, trying to push the ball forward as fast as they could, you know, that’s why we tried to run a little bit of press just to slow him down,” Bialik said.
Then, the Mariners flipped the script. They outscored Whitehall 18-10 in the fourth, clawing their way back before Kott sealed it with the biggest bucket of the season.
Kott had himself a night, leading Manistee with 20 points, six steals, and three assists. Landin Sowa added 10 points (including a clutch three to give Manistee the lead in the final minute), while Chaos Davis chipped in with nine.
Whitehall’s Camden Thompson led all scorers with 23 points.
With the win, Manistee improves to 9-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play. Up next, they’ll head to Montague on Friday, looking to keep the momentum rolling.
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