Titan boys drop first two basketball games of the season

The Odessa-Harrington Titan basketball season got off to a weak start for the local team, with back-to-back losses this past weekend to Davenport December 5 and to Wilbur-Creston December 6.

Against Davenport on Friday, the Titans led at the half, 42 to 34 but were unable to come back from a third-quarter surge by the Gorillas and ultimately lost by a score of 70-64.

O/H 20 21 12 11 64

D-port 17 17 22 14 70

Leading the offense against Davenport was Shane Whitaker with 26 points, which included three 3-pointers and making 7 of 9 attempts at the free-throw line. He also added 1 offensive and 4 defensive rebounds to lead his teammates in rebounding with 5.

Carsen Weber, returning to sports action after breaking his hand in a football game toward the end of the fall season, made 14 points, provided 5 assists to lead the team in that category and added 4 defensive rebounds.

Sam Schafer had 8 points as he hit two baskets and nailed 4 out of 5 free throws. He also added 4 rebounds and had 5 steals for the night.

Steven Braun had 5 points and 2 rebounds, while John DeWulf also had 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist. Colt Sanford had 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal. Dakota Largent had 2 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, as all players were able to score at least once in the game.

Foul trouble was a problem for the Titans, as Whitaker and Schafer both fouled out. Sanford ended the game with 4 personal fouls, while Weber, Braun and DeWulf had 3 each and Largent had 1.

Playing Wilbur-Creston in Wilbur Saturday, the Titans were unable to keep up with the Wildcats, ending the first half seven points down, a deficit they were never able to overcome.

O-H 10 15 8 10 43

W/C 17 15 12 9 53

Whitaker again led the Titan scoring with 19 points, 10 of those points coming from his success at the free-throw line hitting 10 of 13. He also contributed 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

Schafer had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Weber added 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sanford had 3 points, 3 rebounds. The other three players did not score but contributed in other ways.

No Titan players fouled out, although DeWulf came close with 4 personal fouls by the time the game ended. Weber, Schafer and Whitaker had 3 each, Sanford 2 and Braun and Largent 1 each.