Having the opportunity to host 1A Regional 26 at the Trojan Trench on Saturday afternoon, the Triton boys basketball team made the most of it. Facing off against Lakewood Park Christian, the Trojans took the lead early on and never surrendered it, cruising to a 63-40 victory to advance to next week’s semi-state round. 

“Defending our home court is big, obviously our senior night didn’t go the way that we wanted it to,” Triton head coach Jason Groves said after the game. “The kids came out and executed what we wanted to do. When you have a group of experienced guys like we do, it makes it a lot easier. 

The trip to the semi-state round is the fifth for Groves in his 20 years at Triton. 

“I’ve been blessed with a lot of really good players in my time here. This is an area that loves basketball so much and you can see it with the talent that comes out of it,” he said.

The familiar sight of a Gage Riffle triple got the scoring started for Triton early on. That kickstarted what ended up being a very efficient opening quarter for both offenses. Lakewood Park’s star player, junior Avery McFarlane was looking the part, carrying the offense. On the other side, it was a much more balanced attack for the Trojans, something fans have seen all season long. 

The long ball continued to serve the hosts well, as both Riffle and Landon Patrick hit a pair in the first five minutes of the game. Julian Swanson also played a big part in putting together the early lead, doing most of his damage in the midrange. 

The Trojans, after giving up most of their opponent’s points early in the quarter, tightened down immensely on defense in the latter half of the quarter. Combined with the sharp shooting, Triton led 18-11 after eight minutes. 

    Triton junior Gage Riffle releases a three-pointer during the first quarter of Saturday's regional game against Lakewood Park Christian...Nieter

“Defense has been our identity all season long, and I think we did a great job setting that tone early,” Groves said. “[MacFarlane} is one heck of a player and I’m really happy with how we were able to play him for most of the game.” 

Riffle’s third three of the half extended the lead to double figures early in the second. LPC responded well, getting it back down to six at one point and keeping it close for the next few minutes. Triton was able to add another make from distance, this one coming from Dante Workman in the corner, but outside of that, the offense had slowed down tremendously. 

In the latter half of the quarter, the three ball started to fall again for the Trojans, with Swanson and Brayden Wood each hitting one to get the lead back up to eleven. The freshman Wood added a second triple moments later to grow the lead even further. Triton was starting to pull away. 

“It’s contagious. I’ll make on, and I’ll see my teammate make one right after and it makes me want to hit another,” Riffle said. “We have so many guys that can shoot the ball and we feed off of each other.” 

Those ended up being the last points scored by the hosts in the first half. The Panthers added two more of their own in the final minute to give the game its 35-23 scoreline at halftime. At the break, Riffle had nine points and Patrick had eight. MacFarlane led all scorers with eleven. 

The Trojan defense remained stout to begin the third quarter, allowing the team to extend its lead back up to 15. There were multiple points where it looked as if MacFarlane was going to single handedly drag his team back into the game, but the three-point shooting of Triton was too consistent, routinely bringing the lead right back up. 

The final minutes of the third saw yet another offensive explosion for the Trojans as the team grew their lead up near 20 on a layup by Tanner Witt-Hoyo. With just eight minutes to play in the game, the hosts were well on their way to advancing with a 52-36 lead. 

    Junior Landon Patrick of Triton stays low while driving to the basket against Lakewood'sAvery MacFarlane...Nieter

Even with the large lead, Triton kept applying the pressure early in the fourth quarter. Lakewood Park was still struggling to get any offense outside of MacFarlane, and the Trojans were taking full advantage. Another layup by Witt-Hoyo finally allowed the hosts’ lead to cross the 20-point threshold with just five minutes to go in the game. 

In addition to having a hard time scoring, LPC was having a hard time even getting their hands on the ball, as on one possession, Witt-Hoyo grabbed three offensive rebounds in a row to keep possession with the Trojans. This allowed the team to hold onto the ball and start melting what little remained of the clock. 

With about 90 seconds left, Groves made the platoon swap and the starters were given a standing ovation on their way off of the court. The lead was now 22 and all that was left to determine was the final score. 

Riffle finished the game with 13, while Wood added 12. Swanson had eleven. Witt-Hoyo led the team with nine rebounds. 

Triton will find out who they are playing and where Sunday during the semi-state pairings show. 

“It’s such a great feeling. I’ve been playing on this court my whole life so to be able to win a regional here is amazing,” Riffle said. “I’ve never been to the semi-state before so I’m excited for the opportunity.”