Wahoo blitzed Lincoln Christian with a 37 10 first half and coasted to a 55 35 win Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Class C 1 state tournament at Pershing Center.
The No. 1 Warriors (27 0) pulled away from a 15 5 lead midway through the first period with a 22 5 run to close out the half. The Crusaders (17 10) never got closer than 18 points in the second half.
"We were a bundle of nerves last year in our first game and didn’t execute very well, but I think the kids approached it today just like another game," Wahoo coach Kevin Scheef said. "Our kids were focused, they had great energy and they executed really well."
Wahoo, the Class C 1 runner up last season, used a physical 1 3 1 defense to force 11 turnovers in the first half. The Crusaders attempted only 12 shots in the half, making three. Christian, which finished 19 points below its season average, shot 36 percent from the field.
"More than the 1 3 1 it was Wahoo’s physical strength," Christian coach Monte Jones said. "They were so physically tough. Any passes that weren’t strong or any drives that weren’t strong, they just dominated us. You could tell that strength was the difference in that first half."
Scheef said the Warriors’ defense was focused on stopping Christian’s leading scorer, Logan Power. The 6 foot 4 junior brought a 17 point scoring average into the game, but managed just four points against Wahoo’s aggressive defense.
"Power is a terrific player and he has been playing lights out the second half of the season," Scheef said. "He was our focus. We had to know where he was, take away easy shots and keep him off the glass. It was a huge key for us."
Christian’s Brandon Schipman scored 10 of his team high 12 points in the second half, and Evan Mathers came off the bench to score 11. Mathers was 3 for 3 from the field in the third period while scoring all of his points.
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