Weakened Warriors
Lomega dominates Hammon in quarterfinals
LOMEGA’S Darcy Roberts (left) and Adysen Wilson (right) combine to deny Hammon’s Maylee Chaney in the lane during their Class B quarterfinal game. Lomega dominated 73-27 to move into the semifinals. [Photo by Chris Simon/www.simon-sports-photos.smugmu
Kevin Lewallen saw something in Darcy Roberts as a freshman last season when his Lomega Lady Raiders were making a march to a state championship.
“She went out there and decided to become one of the best players in Class B,” Lewallen said a year ago.
That’s still true for Roberts and any number of other Lady Raiders.
They proved itlast Tuesday afternoon when they throttled No. 6 Hammon 73-27 in the Class B state quarterfinals at State Fair Arena.
It was the 25th straight time Lomega has won a quarterfinal game at state. The Lady Raiders last lost in the opening round in 1985.
Both Hammon and Lomega were sluggish offensively early, but Roberts did make her first 3-point attempt to start Lomega’s scoring, then another at the end of the quarter for a 19-7 Lomega lead.
The sophomore nailed another trey a minute into the third quarter and that kickstarted a 16-0 Lomega run that saw the defending champs stake a 39-11 lead.
Hammon had no shot to recover. The Lady Warriors shot 12 percent and had 10 turnovers in the first half.
The second half wasn’t markedly different as they finished 9 of 52 (17.3 percent) from the floor.
But Lomega wasn’t done as reigning state tournament MVP Hensley Eaton made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the third as Lomega increased its lead to 58-20.
“We have a lot of girls who can score, so you just see who’s hitting each night,” Lewallen said. “Today it was Darcy and Henley in spurts. Tomorrow it could be someone different.”
Roberts scored a gamehigh 20 points and added six rebounds.
Emma Duffy scored five points and didn’t make a 3-pointer, but she did lead the team with 10 rebounds.
Eaton scored 15 while Adysen Wilson chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the team she helped win a state title in 2018.
Now she’s looking for back-to-back titles with Lomega, which added to its state tournament record of all-time wins.
The program now has 66 (after Thursday’s semifinal victory against Varnum).
It’s looking for its 15th state title (14 is also a record), but isn’t looking ahead.
“You can’t look past anyone at any point,” Lewallen said. “Every team is capable of winning, so you have to show up and play.”
The quarterfinal win also extended Lomega’s overall streak to 52 games dating back to the 2019-20 season.