OSSIAN – The Whitko girls basketball team came up on the short end Thursday night in a matchup of ranked teams.

Host Norwell topped the Wildcats by a 63-49 in a non-conference game.

Norwell, ranked No. 6 in Class 3-A, improves to 15-2 on the season. The Wildcats, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 2-A, drop to 11-6.

Whitko led 12-11 after the opening quarter before the Knights took control by outscoring them 17-9 in the second period to take a 28-21 halftime lead.

Jennifer Reiff popped in 18 points and Aly Reiff scored 17 to lead the way for Whitko.

Brianna Cumberland and Hanna Yohe each added five points for the Wildcats.

Stephanie Conrad scored a game-high 23 points to lead the winners.

Whitko, which has lost two in a row and five of its last six games, will host conference foe Southwood Saturday night. Norwell hosts Belmont, also on Saturday night.