LAPEL — The Wapahani Raiders had nothing to stop Lapel’s Deannaya Haseman as she and her Bulldog teammates earned their way to a sectional final date by defeating the Raiders 68-49 on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Lapel joined several area sectional sites who had to shift their semifinal games to Saturday because of the winter storm.

While the Raiders had ended Lapel’s sectional run before, the Bulldogs were determined to flip the script.

Haseman scored 11 of her 28 points in a first quarter that saw the Bulldogs come from behind to take an 18-17 lead after the first eight minutes.

She had 18 by the end of the first half with eight coming from the charity stripe.

“She’s really, really good,” Bulldog Coach Zach Newby said. “When she gets it going and lets the game come to her, she can cause a problem.

“They (Raiders) let her get into a little bit of a rhythm, and that’s what happens when she gets a rhythm.”

Free throws became a key to the Bulldogs’ victory as they hit 30 of 39 from the line.

It’s something Newby says they work on in every practice ever since a 2-for-19 performance in a previous sectional game with Wapahani. Two years ago, the Bulldogs were up by 15 in the fourth but lost it at the line.

“We said we’re not going to let that happen again,” Newby said.

Haseman’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 31-23 lead in the second quarter, but Wapahani’s Camrym Wise kept Lapel from stretching the lead too far. With 17 points in the first half, Wise scored the bulk the Raiders’ points both in the first half and in the game.

Bulldog Jaylee Hubble hit a 3 to end the half with Lapel up 34-27.

In the second half, Wise was held to just six points in the second half as the Bulldogs continued to build the lead, first by 10, 45-35 at the end of third quarter and by 14 early in the fourth quarter.

“She kept getting to her right hand in the first half, and once we took her right hand away, she struggled,” Newby said.

Haseman, Ashlynn Allmann and Kerith Renihan combined for 16 points from the line. Allman had 13 points and 16 rebounds. Hubble was the third Bulldog in double figures with 10.

While Renihan is not a leading scorer for the Bulldogs, her presence does not go unnoticed. Renihan had six assists and five rebounds. When loose balls were on the court, Renihan was scrambling for the ball.

“She’s our motor. She plays extremely hard,” Newby said.

The Bulldogs faced rival Frankton in the title game on Tuesday (after press time).

The Eagles disposed of Monroe Central 59-44 in the early game. The Eagles have won the past two sectional titles, but Newby doesn’t believe the Eagles’ prior success will make them overconfident.

“They’ve been there over and over again. They have the experience, and they’ve owned this sectional the last few years. I think if we take care of us, we’ll be OK,” Newby said. “(Frankton’s) coach will have them ready to go, especially playing us.”

The championship game begins at 7 p.m. at Lapel. Doors open at 6 p.m.