Whitnall's Pelkofer a 3-pointer away from 1,000-point plateau after win over Dominican

By Dan Deutschendorf

Whitnall’s Will Pelkofer will need at least one more game.

The Falcons’ senior guard fell three points shy of 1,000 for his career as he scored 16 in a 49-48 nonconference win against visiting Whitefish Bay Dominican in a boys basketball game Tuesday.

The moment seems surreal to the four-year varsity player.

“I just can’t wait to get it on Friday to be honest,” Pelkofer said. “Coming in as a freshman, I never thought I’d get to 1,000. It’s a pretty big milestone for me. I’m excited to get there.”

Pelkofer nearly achieved the accomplishment thanks to four 3-pointers in Whitnall’s win over the Knights. The guard hit a 3-pointer with 6 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Knights’ tough defense held him scoreless the rest of the way.

“They (Dominican) came back with a 1-3-1 trap and we couldn’t handle it for awhile,” Pelkofer said. “(We) started throwing away some passes, but we pulled it together and got it done.”

Whitnall’s sophomore point guard, Stephen Pelkofer, hit 1-of-2 free throws following a loose-ball foul to give his team its final advantage.

Dominican’s Mikael Luter missed a potential game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

According to Whitnall coach Kent Kroupa, Pelkofer is on the verge of becoming one of few boys basketball players to score at least 1,000 career points in school history.

“It’s huge,” Kroupa said. “He came in as a freshman and got better and better. He’s matured tremendously and he’s a great leader for us.”

Kroupa attributes Pelkofer’s ability to score to his athleticism and high basketball I.Q.

“It all starts with his quickness and it ends with his vision,” Kroupa said. “He has the ability to get to the hole, he has the ability to pass and he’s a team player. If the shots are there, he’ll take the shots. If they’re not, he’s one of our best passers … He’s just a double-, triple-threat. You can’t stop him inside; it’s hard to stop him. He’ll hit the 3 too, so choose your poison.”

Pelkofer gets his chance to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau when the Falcons face conference foe Wauwatosa West at home Friday.

Pelkofer scored 23 points when the Trojans defeated Whitnall, 64-55, Jan. 22.

“He’s our leader,” Kroupa said. “He’s just been an amazing asset to the program for the last four years.”