The Indiana High School Athletic Association's boys’ basketball state tournament continued as three Delaware County teams competed Saturday.

At the 2A regional at Lapel High School, Wapahani defeated Western Boone 53-45. The Raiders were led by senior Nate Luce with 17 points. Trailing for most of the game, the Raiders were able to pull out the victory for their third-straight regional title.

“It's just a lot of fun to be a Wapahani basketball player right now,” Raiders’ head coach Matt Luce said. “It's the way they act and the way they respect their coaches and the game. They had to fight tonight [and] they earned a victory.”

The Raiders will find out where and who they play during the sectional pairing's show Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m.

The two other teams to play for a regional title played at New Castle High School. After winning its first sectional title since 2009 and head coach Ashley Fouch becoming the first woman to win a regional title in the boys’ state tournament, Daleville fell 66-58 in the 1A game.

In the 3A game, the Delta Eagles matched up with Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, a team that went 24-3 in the regular season. But after coming down to a final shot that bounced off the front of the rim, the Eagles came out on top, winning their third-consecutive regional championship 45-43.

"This is the most nameless group.They don't need their name on the back of the jersey," Eagles' head coach Mark Detweiler said. "They play for each other. They really are just a true team and they don't care about individual glory. They love each other." 

Senior Bronson Edwards led the Eagles with 19 points. It was his last second layup that put the Eagles up and the bucket became the decider. To him, the mindset the team needs at semi-state is simple. 

"Just [have] confidence," he said. "Just know that we can compete with anybody." 

The Eagles will find out their opponent and semi-state location in the pairings show as well.

Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.

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