Whitehall boys team returns key players

The Whitehall boys basketball team is returning most of its roster, looking to make a run at the Dairyland Conference Large Division title.

After a slow start to the season, the Norse finished third in the DC-Large last year at 5-5 and had an overall mark of 13-9, eventually losing to Blair-Taylor in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Regional Final. They should be able to build on that, however, with nearly the entire roster returning.

Each of Whitehall’s seven leading scorers will be back for the Norse, with a few key players contributing as underclassmen last year.

Devon McCune has led the team in scoring each of the past two years and enters his junior season already with 564 career points. He led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists as a sophomore last year.

McCune’s classmate, Luke Beighley, was second on the team, averaging 9.6 points per game last year, bringing the ability to score inside and shoot from the perimeter. 

The Norse figure to be deep both in the front and back courts this year.

Beighley is the tallest player listed on the roster at six-foot-five, but he’ll be joined in the front court by seniors Ian Pank (six-four) and Isaac Skoyen (six-three). Skoyen averaged eight points and 5.7 rebounds last year while Pank scored 6.8 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds.

McCune will have company in the backcourt as well.

Seniors Jonathan Thorn, Aidan Sonsalla and Kevin Carroll all were among the team’s top three-point shooters last year. Their quickness around the floor helped Whitehall’s defense challenge opponents and all three were able to handle the ball, pushing the team’s offense. 

Adding to the depth are guards Brayden Lisowski and Seth Lambeck, both played as freshmen and came up with good games down the stretch. Lisowski averaged three points per game while Lambeck scored 2.4.

After taking a program that had seven wins the previous three years combined, Tyler Petersen has gone 54-36 with a DC-Large title in 2018-19 for the Norse.   

Last year’s DC-Large champion, Blair-Taylor, graduated most of its key players, which means the conference could be wide open. The only other team to finish ahead of Whitehall was Melrose-Mindoro, a team that returns several key contributors, but graduated its top two scorers from a year ago.

Whitehall’s season began on Tuesday of this week when they hosted Arcadia. They’ll have a long break before returning to action in Durand on Dec. 3.

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