Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

For 32 minutes, Western Boone stood toe-to-toe with the top-ranked team in Class 2A on Saturday afternoon at the Lapel Regional. The Stars and Wapahani Raiders traded runs and big shots deep into the fourth quarter, with nothing separating the teams as the clock reached the final minute of regulation. Unfortunately for WeBo, that's where their phenomenal run came to an end, as Wapahani made the plays they needed to down the stretch and won their third-straight regional title 53-45. "I couldn't be more proud of our guys," Western Boone head coach Dustin Oakley said. "Holding them to really in the mid-40s, we executed so well defensively. I thought we were the aggressors, we played really tough team defenses and we just battled. These kids have a ton of heart and they are just different than some of the past teams we have had. I think they earned a lot of respect from the people in the school, in the community and even though it ended in a loss, I feel like we showed we are a really good, championship basketball team." Just like the week before heading into the sectional, not many people gave the Stars a shot heading into the game. The Raiders came in with a 25-1 record, returning half their line-up from last year's state runner-up and won 76 games over the past three seasons. But the Stars believed in what they do and that they could pull the upset. Oakley said the way the Stars handled the regional environment - from the atmosphere to the opponent - was exactly what they had hoped for all year. "Wapahani had a great crowd and we did too, and it was really loud and awesome," Oakley said. "The composure we had, for almost all 32 minutes was unbelievable. We had the confidence in each other, hit some big shots and were aggressive - it's the same way we have been the last 14 games. Coming in, I didn't have any different feeling about today, just wanted to do what we do and that would give us a chance - and it did." freestar Western Boone went up 45-43 on two Tristyn Faulk free throws with 1:50 to go. But then things started to turn on the Stars. Wapahani hit a mid-range jumper on the ensuing possession then Western Boone turned it over, leading to a lay-up and a 47-45 Raider lead with 52.3 to go. The Stars turned it over again on the next two possessions, with Wapahani hitting free throws on the other end to put the game away. "It was just some costly turnovers," Oakley said. "(Nate) Luce for their team, made some big plays for them. He made plays all day on both ends of the court. We just hurt ourselves on those possessions though, rushed some things. We have the same five-seven guys playing a ton of minutes and maybe we were a little fatigued, but they gave it everything they had. It just sucks it happened in that last quarter." WeBo led by as many as eight late in the second quarter, before Wapahani went on a 13-1 run spanning the second and third quarters to take a four-point lead. But the Stars had the answer, scoring the next six points, and after Wapahani reclaimed the lead by one - scored six points in the final seconds of the third quarter to go up five on a 3-pointer from Gavin Hawkins. When Hawkins hit two of three free throws on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, the Stars led by seven and had the Raiders on the ropes. The Stars led by five with 4:03 to go, and started to work some clock. freestar But the Raiders were able to steal an inbounds pass that led to a transition 3, and after Quinn Westerfeld split a pair of free throws with with 2:56 to go, Wapahani was able to hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 2:15 to go, setting up that final stretch. "We were going to have to use the clock at some point, and we tried to do it some in the first half too," Oakley said. "They inched closer and closer, and we got sped up a little bit and had some turnovers. They had to foul us, and their hands were all over us most of the game and it is what it is - we just didn't get those calls." Hawkins had 16 points to lead the Stars. Westerfeld had eight and Faulk had seven points and seven rebounds. Marcus Fortner had six. Oakley said he is always going to remember this group and how they continued to fight regardless of circumstances. "They brought a lot of spirit and energized me again," Oakley said. "We were at a low point, 5-28 after Christmas break and their fight just never stopped. They never gave us, and our staff never gave up. We just kept coming every day and grinding and thought at some point we were going to break loose and here we are. We 9-5 in the final stretch coming into today and I thought this was our best basketball besides the last couple of minutes. "This is just a great group of kids. Even after going 3-19 last year, they just showed up and acted the same and they're excited to see me and their teammates and go through our summer stuff and then through this grind together. They never let losing affect them, they're just different kids with a great competitive spirit." Big picture wise, the Stars won nine of 15 games from mid-January on and finished 11-15 and 3-4 in the conference. It was just the fifth time in the last 14 years the Stars managed at least three conference wins. freestar They also snapped their 25-year sectional drought and while they lose three great seniors in Hawkins, Fortner and Eli Mitchell, they bring back some good pieces and the program as a whole is in good shape. "If you aren't excited about (WeBo basketball) then you're crazy," Oakley said. "Our junior high teams are winning like crazy, we have a solid youth travel group and just went through a JV season with young guys going 11-9 and then we go on this run and play right there with the No. 1 ranked team in the state. If you aren't buying into that, then you're crazy. But this is very special, and this is what we have been building for four years." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.