LocalSportsJournal.com

Lucas Schumm and Brandon Rake proved to be a dominating duo for the Whitehall varsity boys basketball squad Thursday evening at Mason County Central.

The pair combined for 52 of the Vikings’ 62 points, helping Whitehall remain undefeated in the West Michigan Conference with a 62-50 victory over the Spartans.

Whitehall improves to 9-2 overall and 8-0 in league action.

Whitehall head coach Nate Aardema said Schumm, the Vikings’ senior point guard, was pivotal at the free throw line down the stretch, as he provided some much-needed cushion on the scoreboard with his clutch makes. Schumm finished with a game-high 32 points.

“It’s great to have a senior point guard who knows how to handle the game in that type of situation and force them to foul,” Aardema said.

Rake, a junior center, was equally huge in the victory, as he finished with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds.

“He was tremendous with his help-side defense,” Aardema said. “He played a complete game for us tonight.”

Whitehall had a six-point lead at the half, built a lead as large as 11 in the third, but Mason County trimmed its deficit to just five entering the fourth quarter.

Ryan Mount led the Spartans with 20 points, while Tyndall Sniegowski added 14.