The Wapahani Raiders hit a three-pointer.
Then another.
Then another.
The fans might have wondered how the scorekeeper kept track.
Wapahani blew by Monroe Central 76-33 in the first round of sectionals. In the victory, the Raiders hit 17 three-pointers.
“I'm just proud of our guys that they understood the significance of playing in March and getting off on the right foot,” Wapahani head coach Matt Luce said. “And I just thought they were prepared, mentally and physically and just really proud of our team. We were ready for a different type of defense and we were organized and ready. Yeah, we hit a lot. We had a lot of three point shots, but we were open and we have some really good shooters.”
The Raiders (22-1) opened the contest on a 8-0 run. At the end of the first quarter, they were up 22-5. After that, the No. 5 team in Class 2A never looked back.
During the first half, the team drained eleven three-pointers in the first half. They followed with six in the second.
“I mean they're [Monroe Central defenders] back in the zone,” junior Isaac Andrews said. “So it gives us room to shoot.”
But to Luce, multiple Raiders showed up to play and helped them defeat the Golden Bears (10-15).
“I was really impressed with our senior Joe Foster with a couple of loose ball rebounds,” he said. “I am also really proud of [senior] Nathan Nelson's battle. He's a horse and that was just a real mature effort. We're just excited to be able to advance to Friday night and have a chance to play again.”
One thing that stood out to the Wapahani players and coaches was how many people came to support them.
“I mean, our community is one of the best there is,” Andrews said. “I mean, everybody's at the games and they're loud and rowdy. I love it.”
Sophomore Nate Luce led the team with 15 points after he hit five three-pointers. He was followed by Andrews with 14 points. He added three three-pointers to the count.
The Raiders will face Lapel (12-12) Friday evening in the sectional semi-finals. Even though the team seemed to have no issue tonight, Luce knows that the next game is as tough as this one.
“It'll be really important for us to get off our feet and get some rest tomorrow and come back with a whole different game plan on Friday,” he said. “So we just really like our team and our kids and are very proud of them and excited that we get another practice with them.”
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ZachCarter85.
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