Alter jumped out to a 16-0 first quarter lead en route to a 69-54 victory over Oakwood in a Division IV regional semifinal game on Wednesday night at Lakota East High School.
“We needed a good start because the last game against Taylor we did not have a good start,” Coulter said. “We came out kind of flat, had more turnovers than we had points, which no coach likes that, right? Tonight we came out with a lot of energy, moved the ball really well. We’re a really good team when we share the basketball and create for others.”
Alter, who won the D-II state championship last season, advanced to a regional final game for the fourth straight season. They’ll play either Dayton Northridge (21-4) or Cincinnati Wyoming (23-2) at 4 p.m. Sunday at Xavier University with a chance to advance to the state tournament for the third time in four seasons.
The Knights had four players in double digits — junior Naceive Fenton (16 points), senior Brady Conner (14 points), sophomore Peyton Bakos (12 points) and senior Matt Lunne (10 points) — who combined to make nine 3-pointers. Fenton led Alter with four 3-pointers.
“We had a great start,” Lunne said. “The defense looked good and the offense was hitting shots.”
Oakwood senior Luke Rubin had team-high 16 points for the Lumberjacks, which finished the season 20-6.
“It was definitely a special season for us,” said Lumberjacks coach Braden Short. “It was not the way we wanted to end it, but (Alter) is a super talented team. They made shots in the first half. I was really proud of our kids’ effort to stay with it and grind it out. I was happy with our entire season and happy to be here”
The Knights opened the game on a 16-0 run, holding Oakwood scoreless for more than five-and-a-half minutes. They led 20-8 after the first quarter and increased their lead to 42-16 at the half.
In the first half, the Knights shot 68 percent from the field and went 6-for-9 from the 3-point line.
“We did a great job sharing the ball,” said Knights senior Charlie Uhl. “The scoring was pretty evenly divided. That’s pretty key to a lot of our success.”
Oakwood advanced to the regional tournament for the first time since 2007.
“I think this for our younger guys was a great experience,” Short said. “We are on par with some of the best teams in Dayton. This is where we want to be every year.”
They’ll graduate four seniors — Rubin, Jackson Thobe, William Usechak and Lucas Stroud — that won 77 games in their careers and four consecutive Southwestern Buckeye League division titles.
“I would say it’s the most decorated senior class of all-time in Oakwood history for sure,” Short said. “(Rubin) said at the end of the game that he felt like this was the best team he’s been on in four years, so for him to say that is a big testament to what we were able to do this year.”
A year ago, the Knights beat Wyoming 63-36 to advance to the Division II state semifinals. They’ll get ready for whoever they play next, Coulter said.
“In tournament time, anything can happen,” Coulter said. “For us, I feel like we look at one game at a time. We never look down the road. We look at who’s next in front of us. I’m thrilled with these guys. … This is special. I never take it for granted.”
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