Exeter's Dylan Whelan 'coming on strong' for boys basketball team

PORTSMOUTH – Time was running short and the Exeter High School boys basketball team was trying to fend off the hard-charging Clippers of Portsmouth who had just trimmed a five-point lead to one in the final minute of the fourth quarter Friday night.

That’s when Exeter’s Dylan Whelan, seemingly oblivious of the pressure, stepped to the foul line in front of a partisan crowd and calmly drained two free throws with 16.6 seconds remaining to quell the hosts’ rally and bump the lead up to three of an eventual 64-59 Division I win.

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“We needed a couple points,” the senior forward said. “We needed to extend the lead, so I just tried to knock them down.”

Although the senior forward and captain finished with only six points, Whelan’s contributions can’t be measured by statistics alone. Those two foul shots were a welcome sight for the Blue Hawks who missed 10 free throws in the second half as the Portsmouth student section made sure the visitors were aware of.

“I just try to do whatever it takes to win,” Whelan said. “If the other guys aren’t scoring and taking shots I go in and get the rebounds. I’ll hit the open guy and I’m always going to play defense.

“Whatever we’re lacking,” he added, “I give the game what it needs.”

Whalen’s first basket was a lay-up that came in the middle of a 14-2 run that closed out the second quarter and helped the Blue Hawks build a 34-23 cushion going into the third.

Portsmouth never led in the second half and the game was tied only once at 51. Whelan’s second bucket came during a 6-1 run that gave Exeter a 49-41 lead late in the third quarter. The Blue Hawks were able to prevail despite the intimidating environment.

“It’s always fun to play in front of a crowd like that,” he said. “There’s going to be some hecklers and stuff, but we’ve just got to stay focused on the game and not worry about anything on the outside.”

Whelan is rounding into form after missing some time early in the season with an injury.

“He sprained his ankle and missed a couple games for us,” said Exeter coach Jeff Holmes. “He’s really coming on strong now. He’s worked hard at it. He’s a good shooter and a good inside player. He’s a Jack-of-all-trades. He plays defense. He scores. He rebounds. He had some big assists. He does a little bit of everything. That’s why he’s a really good player.”

Whelan doesn’t need to score to impact a game. Four of his teammates reached double figures against the Clippers led by Brady Rogers with 14 points and Nate McNaff with 12. Jack Cartwright and Nickolas Greco finished with 10 apiece as the Blue Hawks (6-4) bounced back from a loss to Nashua South earlier in the week.

“We came into this game knowing they were ranked ahead of us,” Whelan said of Seacoast rival Portsmouth. “We had a couple tough losses this season, so we needed (a win) and came out with a lot of energy. In the second we knew we were capable (of winning), so we just kept the energy high.”

Trailing 21-20 with 3:30 remaining in the first half the Blue Hawks embarked on their game-changing run that left them with an 11-point lead at the break. They held off a furious Portsmouth rally at the end with Whelan doing his part.

“He’s an unsung guy for us,” Holmes said. “He plays really good defense for us and does a little bit of everything. He scores. He defends. He rebounds. I don’t know what he had for points, but out there he was our soft safety in the press-breaker.”

Portsmouth’s Jackson Jones scored five of his game-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, to fuel the Clippers’ late fourth-quarter rally that fell just short. Rogers hit a pair of free throws for Exeter with 4.2 seconds left to complete the scoring.

The Blue Hawks hope the hard-fought win on the road gives them some impetus going forward.

“It definitely gave us a lot of confidence,” Whelan said. “We know we’re a good team, but this win just helps us down the stretch and gives us the confidence we need to finish strong in the second half (of the season).”

The Clippers dropped to 7-3.

“Huge win for us against a good team in a hostile environment,” Holmes said. “We played hard and had a good first half. That was the key in this game. (Portsmouth) couldn’t get over the hump. They hit some big shots. We won a tight game. It was kind of a team effort for us.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dylan Whelan helps Exeter boys basketball hold off rival Portsmouth