MUNCIE, IND - The gymnasium at Delta High School was rocking tonight for a pair of Delaware County boys’ basketball tournament games.
Both games were incredible match-ups with a defensive affair in the opener and a high-scoring thriller in the second. Both winning teams earned their wins and the right to advance to the sem-finals of the DCAA semi-finals Jan. 17.
Game one – Wapahani: 43 Delta: 38
The first game, a clash of teams with the best records, Wapahani (11-0, 2-0) and Delta (9-3, 1-2), came down to the last thirty seconds of the game.
Wapahani led for most of the contest but the Eagles were able to keep it within 15 points the entire game. The closest Delta got was within three points in the final 30 seconds of the game.
Freshman guard Ryan Lynch hit a three-point shot to get the Eagles within three, entered the press on defense, and forced Wapahani senior forward Camden Bell to turn the ball over with around 20 seconds to go.
Although the Eagles were able to make it interesting to close the game, Wapahani dominated the first 24 minutes of the contest.
“The last quarter is maybe a field good quarter for our guys,” Detweiler said. “For us, this is a pattern, if it happens once, so what, but now it's a pattern. Bad starts have been a pattern for us so now we have the conversation of we need to figure it out.”
Wapahani head coach Matt Luce was pleased with the effort he saw out of his Raiders tonight. A strong defensive performance and out-rebounding an opponent are at the top of the coaching “cliche” list for winning games.
“At the end, our guys showed they can win at a championship level,” he said. “Composure and toughness and our guys have seen it get done. They've been through the battles and they just hung in there, no matter what happened. We found a way to be strong and hit free throws and rebound. Our defense was really locked in on guys on the perimeter.”
The final quarter of the game was well worth the seven-dollar cost of entry. Delta hit big threes down the stretch and forced Wapahani to earn its points from the free throw line.
“I think the people got their money's worth,” Luce said. “Two outstanding teams, two well-coached teams, and a bunch of kids that just acted right. I said to one of our fans, “Isn’t that fun to watch?’ Thankfully, tonight, we were able to find a way to win.”
With the win, Wapahani will advance to play Daleville Jan. 17. at 6 p.m. Luce and the Raiders want to keep it “stupid simple” on their way to a county championship.
“We get to play another game in the county tournament,” he said. “That's a fun statement for our guys right there. We get another extra game with our fun group. We just enjoy the time together, but it'll be a different game. [Daleville] will pose a different threat we'll have to figure out."
“I told them to get dressed, get out of here, enjoy that win, and relax before we get back to it.”
Game two – Yorktown: 66 Wes-Del: 50
Yorktown handled its game against Wes-Del despite an outstanding performance from senior guard Josiah Love.
Love, Wes-Del’s leading scorer and senior-team leader, scored a game-high 23 points. Yorktown head coach Matt Moulton was impressed by Wes-Del, and Love, before the teams stepped on the floor together.
“Josiah is a load,” he said. “[Julian] Carpenter, he got downhill a lot as well.
I really respect Wes-Del and how they played. They just run you downhill and credit to Coach Berkett, man, those guys are playing well. I liked watching them on film, so I’m wishing good luck to them the rest of the year.”
Yorktown has been one of the most balanced teams in the county. Compared to teams like Wes-Del, who have an extensive leading scorer, Yorktown is well spread out and generates production from its entire lineup.
“When our guys look for each other and move the ball and are patient on offense, we do well,” Moulton said. “It's when we don't do those things that it doesn't look too good. That's what we need to do since we don't have that ‘go-to’ scorer. We just need to run that offense, and I think it was pretty decent tonight.”
Tonight, the Tigers had that kind of scorer though. Senior guard Ephraim Daugherty scored 17 points, tying his season-high he scored against Burris Dec. 6.
“It was kind of amazing that he hit those three-pointers in the first quarter,” Moulton said. “He's been struggling with the three-ball. We haven't told him not to shoot but they were laying off him tonight because of the percentages. We do three-point shooting drills every day in practice, so he stepped into them tonight and knocked them down. So that's what we expect our players to do if given the opportunity.”
That game with the Owls was also the last time Yorktown added to the win column. The Tigers went on a seven-game losing streak after starting the season undefeated at 3-0.
“We just totally needed a win,” Moulton said. “I know it was ugly, but we just needed a W. So we'll take it. It's nice to get that first win since December and keep it going.”
For Wes-Del head coach Josh Burkett, having a player like Love on his team is something he knows to not take for granted.
“We’re definitely going to miss him when he’s gone,” Burkett said. “I’ve talked to him about great players who can stop the bleeding when you’re down. He did it multiple times tonight and kind of helped us weather the initial storm of being down six points or so and got it tied back up.”
The Yorktown defense was strong tonight and forced some unnecessary Wes-Del turnovers. The Warriors made too many bad passes and gave up the ball too much on self-inflicted turnovers, something the team has struggled with in its losses all year.
“They did a great job of making us uncomfortable,” Burkett said. “We have to be poised with the basketball in our hands. We have to calm down and stay poised in the big moments. They’re a great team and play good defense. In practice I think we’re going to have to throw more guys at our players because we need to be better at not forcing the ball around.
With the win, Yorktown is set up for a semi-final game against Cowan (0-10, 0-3) Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. Although the Blackhawks have yet to win a game, Yorktown knows to not look ahead to a championship game before actually making it there.
“We had kind of a difficult game tonight,” Moulton said. “Then you just naturally know that Saturday night's the championship, but you absolutely cannot overlook Friday night, that's the classic trap game. I love what coach [Groves] does over at Cowan and we just absolutely cannot overlook it. We just told our players we have to have a championship-caliber mindset and practice tomorrow. We can't bonk around and gotta come ready to play for Cowan.”
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
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