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Washington Evening Journal
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A special night at the ‘Warehouse on Walnut’
Raiders advance to state for first time since 2014
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WILLIAMSBURG — The writing was on the wall for the Williamsburg girls basketball team. They would have a special season this year.
You can check that box off your list.
The Raiders (23-2) topped the Mustangs of PCM 57-43 in a Class 3A Region 4 final and advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2014 and the fourth time in program history.
“I don’t think I could even put it into words, honestly,” said senior guard Carly Rich. “We worked so hard these past four years building our program.”
“It’s incredible all the hard work has payed off,” Raiders senior Makenna Hughes said. “I know we’ve had some rough patches, but being able to work through them is a great accomplishment.”
The Raiders came prepared, knowing the Mustangs brought a challenging matchup.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Williamsburg coach Stephanie Dacey said. “They’re a great team that was hard to guard because they’re different than us.
“They got tenacious guards, a fantastic forward (Libby Winters) and they play with a lot of grit.”
The game was a defensive battle.
“We stressed this year a lot that our defense is going to be bigger than our offense.” said Rich. “ I think we did a really good job of decreasing the amount of threes they were taking. They have a lot of good shooters on their team.”
The Mustangs totaled 10 three-point attempts, but did not make their first until late in the third.
In that time span, the Raiders had six of their own.
The Raiders scored 23 of their 57 points in the first quarter after a hot stretch from the three-point range.
Threes from Channing Becker, Ava Hocker and Kennedy Skaggs ended the quarter on a 9-0 run, giving the Raiders an 11-point lead.
The lead never got closer than seven after that.
Both teams scored 10 in the second for a 33-22 halftime score.
The Raiders’ offensive balance was on full display. Five players had five or six points, and after three quarters, six Raiders had scored five to eight points.
“We really trust each other to make shots. We’re balanced and super unselfish,” Hughes said.
That balance, and having each player buy into her role, has become a huge strength for the Raiders in their run to the state tournament.
“Each player knows their role very well,” Hughes said. “We all understand our roles, and no one’s more important than the other. We work as one.”
The Mustangs had one last run in them, cutting the lead to nine with less than minute to go in the third.
Seconds before the buzzer, Taylor Sanchez knocked in her second three of the game to give the Raiders a 12-point lead.
“Bless her heart, these past few weeks she probably only played nine whole minutes,” Dacey said. ”But she’s been in the gym getting ready for this.“
“We decided to have her watch the PCM softball game from last season, so I think that gave her some extra juice.”
Sanchez hit a crucial home run in the state softball tournament last summer against the Mustangs in the quarterfinals.
The lead remained in double digits the entire fourth quarter, reaching the eventual 57-43 final.
Winters led the Mustangs with a game-high 20 points. Tori Lindsay followed with nine.
The Raiders were led by Zoe Allen, who scored 13. Hocker and Becker added 11 and 10 each, respectively.
The win was a team effort all the way around, with each player contributing in some way.
A trip to State has been three years in the making, from a 5-17 record in Dacey’s first year as coach, to 14-9 the following year and 23-2 this season.
“Kudos to our seniors for their heart and sticking with it the whole time,” Dacey said.
“Being younger than these seniors and coming into this team, they already had great relationships and have always been so welcoming,” Allen said. “I feel like we’ve really grown as a team each year.”
As the Raiders celebrated postgame and cut down the nets, one scene stuck out among all those playing out on the packed court — Rich hugging Coach Dacey, her aunt.
“I have had a passion for basketball all my life,” said Rich. “I’m so glad I could do it with this team with Steph by my side.”
