Lapel began the first quarter with foul trouble for their leading scorer, freshman Bode Judge, who picked up a pair of fouls in the first three minutes. Enter senior forward Brennan Stow, who gave the Bulldogs a big lift with three buckets in the lane upon entering the game. At the first-quarter buzzer, a Chase Landis heave went down, giving Lapel a five-point lead heading into the second.

 

Winchester struggled with turnovers and shooting, as the offense found resistance in the form of Lapel's multiple zone defenses. In the first half, the only scorers for Winchester were seniors Brooks Burelison and Gage Patterson, who combined for all 15 Falcon points.

 

Winchester started the half on a 6-0 spurt, but Lapel would respond right away and end the third quarter with a four-point advantage. The Bulldogs would lead by five with just over five minutes to go, but three Brooks Burelison free throws would close the gap, and the Falcons would take their first lead of the game on an Adam Moore breakaway layup.

 

However, that lead would be short-lived as the following possession Chase Landis would connect on his second three of the night, this time from the left corner. Winchester would still be within a single point with just over a minute left, but the ball continually found the hands of senior guard Landon Bair, and his stroke from the foul line was pure. Bair scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the fourth, including a perfect 6-6 from the foul line to ice the game.

 

Brennan Stow scored ten off the bench for the Bulldogs, while Brooks Burelison led Winchester with 13 points and Gage Patterson with 12.

 

Winchester   9   6   9  17  -  41

Lapel       14   8   6  17  -  45

 

Winchester: Brooks Burelison 13 points (2/9 3Ps, 7/8 FTs); Gage Patterson 12 points (4/6 FGs, 4/6 FTs), 9 rebs, 2 asts; Adam Moore 9 points (4/6 FGs, 1/3 FTs), 4 rebs, 3 stls; Jamison Beshears 7 points (2/5 3Ps, 1/3 FTs)

 

Lapel: Landon Bair (4/9 FGs, 7/8 FTs), 7 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls; Brennan Stow 10 points (5/6 FGs), 3 rebs; Bode Judge 6 points (3/6 FGs), 4 rebs; Chase Landis 6 points (2/2 3Ps), 2 stls; Tyler Dollar 4 points (1/1 FGs, 2/2 FTs), Nick Witte 2 points (2/3 FTs), 5 rebs, 2 asts; Matt Carpenter 2 points (1/1 FGs), 2 rebs; Rylie Hudson 2 points (1/1 FGs)

 

 

 

In a tale of two halves, the top-ranked Monroe Central Golden Bears used a fine defensive effort and rode the hot hand of junior guard Josiah Ullom to come back from a ten-point halftime deficit to claim the win over Wapahani.

 

It was the Aidan Franks show early on, as the sophomore guard scored the first seven points for the Raiders. The first quarter would also end with a bang for the Raiders, as Isaac Andrews drained a banked 60 footer at the buzzer to give them a four-point advantage.

 

The momentum would continue in the second quarter, as Wapahani paid particular attention to Gavin Smithson-Burciaga in the post, limiting his opportunities. Jackson Ullom was also a marked man on the perimeter. The only Monroe Central points in the second would come on a Josiah Ullom triple, as Andrews and Franks would combine for 17 of Wapahani's 22 first-half points, and their side would take a ten-point lead into the break.

 

But Monroe Central would turn the tables out of the locker room, as the defensive pressure would get ratcheted up. Ullom would score five in the early stages of the third, as Wapahani was forced to make contested catches near the halfcourt line on seemingly every possession.

 

Smithson-Burciaga would get his first points of the game on a drop step bucket to make it a three-point deficit, then Josiah Ullom would drain a three-pointer on the next possession to tie the game. A Cole Munchel bucket would complete the turnaround in the third quarter for the Golden Bears, as they outscored their opponent 16-4 in the period, bringing the Monroe Central faithful into a frenzy.

 

That pattern would continue into the fourth quarter, as a 24-7 run following halftime would see a ten-point deficit turn into a seven-point lead in the middle of the fourth. Josiah Ullom would continue to lead the charge, as he scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the second half.

 

Isaac Andrews would hit a step-back three with 1:40 left on the clock, but that was as close as the Raiders would get. Jackson Ullom would shoot 3-4 from the free-throw line in the final 90 seconds, and Wapahani's rushed shots would fall by the wayside.

 

Josiah Ullom was the only Golden Bear in double figures with 22. Isaac Andrews led the Raiders with 15, but his team shot just 34% from the field and committed 15 turnovers. Monroe Central didn't fare much better from the field, at 36%, but made 11-13 from the charity stripe to claim the win.

 

Monroe Central will face Lapel in the Sectional 40 championship game at Alexandria Saturday evening. That is a rematch of a December 17th game that Monroe Central won 54-42 on their home floor.

 

 

Wapahani        13   9   4   7  -  33

Monroe Central   9   3  16  11  -  39

 

Wapahani: Isaac Andrews 15 points (6/14 FGs, 2/6 3Ps, 1/3 FTs), 9 rebs, 3 stls; Aidan Franks 8 points (3/16 FGs, 1/9 3Ps, 1/3 FTs), 8 rebs, 2 asts; Nate Luce 6 points (2/4 3Ps); Joe Foster 2 points (1/1 FGs), 4 rebs, 3 asts; Nick Cook 2 points (1/1 FGs)

 

Monroe Central: Josiah Ullom 22 points (7/14 FGs, 4/8 3Ps, 4/4 FTs), 6 rebs; Jackson Ullom 7 points (1/10 FGs, 5/6 FTs), 2 asts, 2 stls; Cole Munchel 6 points (2/2 FGs, 2/2 FTs); Gavin Smithson-Burciaga 4 points (2/3 FGs), 10 rebs, 2 asts