When young kids are asking high school basketball players for their autographs after a game, they must have done something right.
On Thursday night, the Wapahani Raiders defeated the Cowan Blackhawks 93-52. Head coach Matt Luce was very happy with how his team performed.
“We wanted to play well and play well in front of our band and home court,” he said. “And I think we did that tonight.”
The Raiders (16-1, 5-0 ME) started off right away after the opening tip. The home team went on a 10-point scoring run that included a fastbreak dunk from senior forward Nathan Nelson. This forced the Blackhawks (6-9, 2-2 ME) to call an early timeout.
But that timeout did not slow down the Raiders. They finished the first quarter with a 23-point lead. Turnovers cost the Blackhawks during the first half, and that gave Wapahani plenty of opportunities. In the end, the visitors only hit twenty shots, compared to the home team's thirty-six.
The biggest key to the win was the Raiders' ability to convert from deep. As a team, they hit 16 3-pointers.
The one Raider that could not be stopped was junior guard Isaac Andrews, who finished with 27 points. As he led his team with seven three-pointers, multiple of his deep balls were from the volleyball line. To Andrews, the success comes from the work he puts in.
“I’m working hard every day,” Andrews said. “I mean, I'm in the gym every morning, getting shots up. That’s what it’s all about.”
Once the running clock was implemented in the third quarter, coach Luce rotated most of his bench players in. One thing that the team as a whole capitalized on was sharing the ball. Luce was proud to see this from the Raiders.
“It's nice to have guys that can make plays, but it only works if they're unselfish and work together,” Luce said. “And it really helps when Andrews and Franks are willing to give the ball up and make the right play.”
Leading the charge for Wapahani was senior guard Aidan Franks. He finished with 29 points and converted five 3-pointers. During the second half, the Wapahani faithful rose to their feet after he completed the team's second fastbreak dunk of the night. To the leading scorer, his team is just trying to keep it simple.
“We're just trying to get better out there and not get hurt,” Franks said. “We’re just getting prepared for our next game.”
The Raiders are currently on a 16-game winning streak and this is their sixth victory in which the team has scored over 70 points. Coach Luce believes this says enough about his team.
“It says we have an outstanding club,” he said. “It's not as much about having good players. We have good kids and good teammates. I would pay $5 to watch them because they're nice kids and nice families and I'm just really proud of them.”
Cowan will try and set the ship straight after losing their last five games. They will face Eastern Hancock at home on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. while Wapahani will look to continue their double-digit win streak as they travel to face Union on Saturday. The tip-off is set for Noon.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ZachCarter85.
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