Eastern Hancock is 0-7 against Wapahani since January of 2018 but things could change on Friday. The Eastern Hancock Royals will challenge the Wapahani Raiders at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Eastern Hancock will head into Saturday's matchup hoping to keep the good times rolling: they had to skate by with only a three-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 37-point drubbing they dealt Randolph Southern on Saturday. Eastern Hancock couldn't have asked for a better start to 2025 than the 72-35 blowout they got against Randolph Southern. Given the Royals' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while the Rebels are ranked 326th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Eastern Hancock's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kayden Ruble, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 boards. Ruble continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Caleb Retherford was another key player, going 5 of 9 on his way to 14 points.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wapahani). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Blue River Valley 85-41. With the Raiders ahead 53-14 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Wapahani's win came from a few key players Eastern Hancock will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Nate Luce, who went 9 for 15 from beyond the arc on his way to 29 points in addition to six boards and five assists. Those 29 points gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brock Zickgraf, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 boards.
Eastern Hancock's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-3. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Wapahani, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 10-0.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Landyn Loring and Camden Bell. Loring has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 16.2 points, 1.6 steals, and 2.5 assists. For his part, Bell has averaged 21.4 points, 1.1 steals, and 4.6 boards on 58.7% shooting.
Eastern Hancock came up short against Wapahani in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 52-44. Can Eastern Hancock avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
