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Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Wawasee boys basketball team looked to defend the Hardwood Teepee against Bethany Christian on Tuesday night. Playing some great basketball lately, that trend continued as the Warriors played nearly flawlessly in a 63-40 win headlined by 32 points from center Stephen Akase.
Three different players accounted for the first three Wawasee buckets as the home side took an early 7-0 lead. The Warriors were moving the ball around quickly, as if the team had a three-pass requirement before shooting the ball. Whatever the case was, it was working, and the offense was clicking early.
Eventually, the ball started finding Akase pretty often. Fresh off a 40-poont performance over the weekend, the senior was up to the task. He finished the opening quarter with eight points on 4/5 shooting.
The Bruins were able to do just enough offensively to prevent their opponent from pulling away in the opening quarter, but for the most part, the visitors struggled. In contrast to their opponents, Bethany Christian was not moving the ball well at all, and the predictable offense was playing right into the Warriors’ hands. After one, Wawasee led 15-8.
Through two minutes of the second quarter, that lead had shrunk down to just two. The Bruins were playing much better defensively, doubling and sometimes tripling Akase to prevent the big man from getting the ball. Eventually, a steal and score by Nolan Holzwart ended the short run and got Wawasee back on track.
It remained a one-possession game for the next few minutes before back-to-back makes by Akase gave his team a bit of breathing room once more. Junior Kaden Andrew was also starting to put together a nice night, making perfect cuts and being rewarded with passes inside that turned into easy shots. With 80 seconds before the half, the advantage had been extended back up to nine.
Wawasee senior Davis Cowan pulls up for a shot over Bethany Christian's Jude Miller during the second quarter...Nieter
A pair of free throws just before the break made it 28-17 at the break. The Bruin offense that began the second quarter was not the one that finished it, as the visitors struggled mightily after climbing back into things. The Warriors had weathered the storm and were in a good spot with 16 minutes left in the contest.
A strong start to the second half saw the lead grow to as many as 16 in the first two minutes. The Warriors were continuing to play at an extremely high level on the offensive end, making it look easy as they ended possession after possession with basket after basket.
That trend continued well into the third, as the home side went up 20 with a little over three minutes to go in the period. By the end of the quarter, Akase had reached 24 points, while Holzwart had 10 and Andrew nine in support on very efficient shooting. With eight minutes left, the home side led 49-29.
Three minutes into the fourth, that difference had not changed. While the intensity may have dipped a tad, the execution had not. Wawasee was still playing great defense while also ending a majority of their possessions with points. By now, there was little doubt about the outcome of this one.
Before he subbed out with three and a half minutes left, Akase was scoring at will. The ball was finding him on every possession and he was using a variety of moves to find the rim. Whether he was posting up or hitting a nasty eurostep, the senior put the finishing touches on yet another great night.
Akase wasn’t the only player that subbed out in the final minutes, as the Warriors made a platoon swap. With this one all but decided, the home bench was able to pick up some experience before the clock struck zero.
Wawasee (12-4) hosts Concord on Friday.
