Friday night game called key to control of Northwest race.

Marcus Whittaker goes strong to the
hoop in Leland's win over Glen Lake
Saturday Night Jan.5.
(Photo courtesy of Matt Davis)

While no Northwest Conference team appears ready to run away with the title, Leland can maintain control of its own destiny in a home game Friday with Suttons Bay.

“We’re not even halfway through the season,” said Leland coach Jason Stowe. “It’s not even close to deciding who will win the conference; it’s who will be in control.”

Five games into the conference race, upper and lower tiers have formed. Count Leland and Suttons Bay as squads in the upper echelon, while Glen Lake has struggled.

That makes Friday’s matchup all the more important, said Norsemen coach Ken Hunter.

“I picked Benzie Central and Leland to win the league championship. (Leland) is a solid team,” said Hunter, whose squad fell to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Northwest with a 79-63 loss Tuesday to Benzie.

The key to beating Leland, in Hunter’s eyes: “We have to start with the Whittaker brothers, that’s for sure. Marcus and Galen. And they are very good kids, super kids off the court, and super players on the court.”

Meanwhile, Leland showed its depth Tuesday by breezing past Mesick, 86-47, behind the sharpshooting of a senior and a sophomore whose names were not Whittaker.

It’s not that the 6-foot-4 Whittakers had off nights. Marcus, the senior, finished with 11 points and helped Leland hold a 46-18 rebounding edge.

But sophomore Nate Sneed hit 9-of-13 shots, including 6 three-pointers, to finish with 24 points. And senior Jordan Gibson offered up a “triple-double,” finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Also credit Matt Rinehart with 10 points in the Comets’ second straight blowout of a Northwest opponent.

Leland had little trouble putting away Glen Lake (1-4, 2-5) Saturday, 59-44. The Lakers trailed 32-23 at halftime, and pulled within four points midway in the third period before Marcus Whittaker slammed down a game-changing dunk that snuffed the comeback.

Whittaker’s slam came just after he had been slapped with his fourth foul.

“I decided to leave him in, and he responded with a dunk and 6 blocks after that,” said Stowe.

Whittaker finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Sneed had 11 points and Adam Nedow 10.

Eric Larsen (6 points, 6 steals, 5 assists) and Gibson (7 points, 6 assists) played their usual strong floor games.

Glen Lake coach Todd Hazelton gave credit to his team’s effort — and to Leland.

“We came within four in the third quarter, and we were playing well. But Leland played pretty darn good, and we kind of ran out of gas.”

The Lakers’ Ryan Dykersterhouse had what Hazelton called the best game of the senior’s career, finishing with 11 points and 20 rebounds. Freshman Matt O’Brien added 8 points.

Glen Lake’s woes continued Tuesday in a 53-51 loss to Northwest co-leader Kingsley, 53-51. Kyle Klumpp got off a good looking shot in the final seconds that just rimmed out.

“We ended up with a 25-footer, but it was just off the rim,” said Hazelton, whose plan was to get the ball into Dyksterhouse’s hands. A Kingsley double-team forced a change in plans.

Neither team was accurate from the line, with Glen Lake finishing 5-of-16 and Kingsley letting the Lakers back in by going 2-of-8 in the last two minutes.

It was O’Brien’s 10-foot jumper that gave Glen Lake a one-point lead — its only of the game — with about 2 1/2-minutes remaining. Glen Lake trailed 32-22 at halftime and 36-31 after three periods. He finished with 8. Credit Dyksterhouse with 23 points and Will Hendricks with contributing 9 points off the bench.