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The LaGrange boys basketball team was left stunned on Wednesday after a 58-51 loss to Whitewater in the region tournament saw their season come to an end with the Grangers missing the state playoffs for the first time since 2019.

The Grangers were seemingly in trouble from the opening tip as they could not find any traction on offense and subsequently trailed 22-10 after the opening quarter. The second quarter was not much better as the deficit grew to 34-17 going into the break. 

It was all dejected looks and blank stares from the Grangers as they made their way to the locker room for halftime.

Torian Reeves carried the offense, scoring 10 of LaGrange’s 17 points in the first half. He was the lone Granger who had a consistently good night, scoring 20 points total

LaGrange came out of the break with a new found energy. By the end of the third quarter, the Grangers had closed the gap to 46-37. 

The comeback was halted in the fourth quarter, but the Grangers went down swinging. BJ Wortham connected on a 3-pointer to cut the Wildcat lead to 53-51, but Whitewater stormed up the court quickly to get a two-score lead back (55-51). Free throws from the Wildcats and missed shots from the Grangers in the final seconds ensured this was the final game of the season for LaGrange.

Wortham was one of the Grangers who put it all out there, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half. 

LaGrange finished the season 18-8. Despite seeing their season cut short, the Grangers have a lot to build on as the team will only be losing one key contributor from this year’s team — senior starting center Zai Peagler.