Encouraged, not discouraged.

That was Carthage basketball coach Bosko Djurickovic’s take after Friday night’s 82-81 loss to 13th-ranked UW-Whitewater in the opening round of the Carthage Classic at the Tarble Arena.

Trailing by six points with 20 seconds to play, the Red Men had a potential game-winning shot attempt from the left wing by Steve Djurickovic go off the rim at the buzzer.

To even be in a position to win seemed like a minor miracle.

With 6-foot-9 senior Dustin Mitchell wreaking havoc down low, Whitewater finished with a commanding 38-22 rebounding advantage. Mitchell grabbed 10 of his team’s whopping 20 offensive rebounds and finished with 18 in the game. He also scored a team-high 28 points.

Along with the rebounding woes, Carthage also struggled with the clock off. The Warhawks scored 10 points on out-of-bounds plays from underneath the basket.

“We gave them too many opportunities,” Bosko Djurickovic said. “We were climbing the wall all night. That’s what put us in a tough spot.

“This is only a bump in the road. We’re a good basketball team. I told the guys before the game we weren’t going to be 25-0. This was a wildly entertaining college basketball game. We were one play short.”

Steve Djurickovic scored 23 of his game-high 33 points in the second half and added nine assists and five rebounds in 40 minutes. Max Cary added 15 points and Tyler Pierce chipped in 12.

Former UW-Parkside players D.J. Dantzler and Mike Bendall scored 14 points apiece for the Warhawks.

Two free throws by Dantzler gave the Warhawks a 82-76 lead with 29 seconds remaining.

After Cary scored on a drive with 18 seconds left, Pace Bennett picked off a long pass and Djurickovic converted a 3-point play with 8.5 seconds to go.

Things got interesting when Mitchell missed a pair of free throws with 7.6 seconds left.

Rushing the ball up the floor, Djurickovic had a good look at a 15-footer, but couldn’t connect as the Carthage bench screamed for a foul to no avail.

Platteville triumphant

The Red Men will play UW-Platteville (2-0) in the second round at 7 tonight. The Pioneers edged Aurora 86-79 in Friday’s first game.

Carthage lost to Platteville 74-48 in the St. Norbert Nicolet Bank Tournament last year in DePere. Platteville was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time.

Platteville’s Mike Shaw drained a school record seven 3-point baskets.