SELMA – Wapahani boys basketball coach Matt Luce was perfectly honest about what transpired on the courts at Raider Gymnasium Friday evening.
It wasn’t pretty.
That’s what happens when a team replacing almost all of its production from the previous year matches up with the squad beset by illness throughout the week. But Luce took pride in how his team, still battling through growing pains, knocked off Wes-Del 55-42 for its first Mid-Eastern Conference win of the season.
“We are a young, inexperienced team that’s learning how to win,” said Luce, who is coming off back-to-back Class 2A sectional titles with seasoned groups. “It was a very physical, a lot of whistles, a lot of fouls.
“But I think more importantly, our kids found a way to win. They hung with our plan. They didn’t lose their composure. And for a young team, we’re happy to escape.”
The game took on a rough, stop-and-start pace with 33 combined turnovers and 48 fouls. That produced 50 combined free throws and series when the teams traded possessions of dribbling up the court, getting bumped and promptly heading to the line.
The Raiders (4-2) broke ahead late in the first quarter and nursed a moderate lead, never letting the visiting Warriors (3-3, 1-2 MEC) get closer than seven.
Wapahani’s aggressive defense seemed to take its toll on top Warriors scorer Bryce Marsh (15.8 points per game before Friday). The senior was limited to five points, none before the second half of the fourth quarter.
Besides that, the visitors had one other worry.
“It was a struggle,” Wes-Del coach John McGlothin said. “We had four guys that didn’t practice the whole week. We had the flu. That’s not taking away anything from Wapahani, they played well.
“It showed in the first half, our continuity, our chemistry wasn’t very good.”
His team also went 9-for-21 on free throws, missing more than a few when trying to close in down the stretch.
That proved a problem with the engines of the Raiders attack humming. Forward Hayden Castor was all over the boards, netting 12 rebounds along with 14 points, mostly hard-fought on the interior.
And then there was guard Darryl McKinney, a Central transfer who was often cutting through the press or inside on the way to 21 points and 12 trips to the free-throw line.
“Sometimes I kind of look up to our senior, Bailey Masters,” McKinney said. “Then again, I’ve got to speak up too. I came from Muncie and I was always a leader everywhere I went, and I just feel like I’ve got to do that when it comes down to it.”
Although those two posted scoring numbers, Luce came away focused on the smaller things from some of his other players. Replacing a dominant, larger senior class from last year has meant new roles and opportunities for many, and even in an ugly game he wanted to see where they could contribute.
“I thought Grant Thompson, in the second half, had a couple real nice plays, hustle plays,” Luce said. “(Austin Martin) is really giving us some spark of the bench. You see Castor’s points. You see McKinney’s points, but you don’t see those other guys that are really trying to fill some roles.”