Photo by Cody Nespor Wheeling Central’s Lorenzo Ferrera, left, defends Oak Glen’s Chaise Clark during Wednesday’s sectional semifinal. The Maroon Knights will take on North Marion on Friday for the sectional title.

WHEELING — The march to Charleston started in dominating fashion for Wheeling Central Wednesday night.

The high-powered, well-balanced and top-seeded Maroon Knights blasted fourth-seeded Oak Glen, 84-60, in a Class AAA Region 1, Section 1 elimination semifinal on Coach Skip Prosser Court.

Next up for Coach Mel Stephens’ talented charges is a Friday night home date against North Marion. The Huskies dispatched Weir, 80-53, last night.

The Maroon Knights improved to a sparkling 18-3 on the campaign. The Golden Bears closed out at 5-18.

Central’s lopsided triumph was fueled by strong efforts from seniors Ryan Reasbeck and Michael Toepfer as well as sophomore Leyton Toepfer. The hot-shooting trio combined for 62 tallies.

Reasbeck exhibited his lethal long-range skills for a team-high 24 points, including five bonus goals. The younger Toepfer delivered 22 markers while deftly handling point guard duties. Michael Toepfer keyed a huge second quarter for the hosts, finishing the night with 16 tallies.

“When we share the ball we are a really good basketball team. We did just that tonight,” Stephens said. “Oak Glen came out and played really well in the first quarter. (Jontae) Howard did some real nice things for them.

“We made our shots and played better defense in the second quarter. I think they got a little tired,” added the veteran and ultra-successful coach. “There are some things we still need to work on but we played well tonight.”

The second quarter was the difference in the contest after Oak Glen acquitted itself quite nicely in the initial stanza. The Hancock Countians trailed just 21-18 after the opening eight minutes, thanks to 10 Howard points.

However, that would be as good as it gets for the Golden Bears.

Central outscored Oak Glen 29-6 in the second period to build a virtual insurmountable, 50-24, halftime advantage. The Toepfer brothers combined for 19 points in the stanza, with Leyton contributing 10 of the tallies.

The Maroon Knights were never threatened in the second half, pushing the lead to 30 at times.

“We started out well. We played a nice first quarter,” Oak Glen head coach Jerry Everly said. “But Wheeling Central is a state champion-caliber team. They have so many weapons and they didn’t miss in the second quarter.

“Central just wears on you. They are relentless,” he added. “We had some kids who played well. Jontae had a big game for us.”

Central, which handled the Golden Bears twice easily in the regular season, turned in a near flawless floor effort, committing just five turnovers despite pushing the tempo. Three of those miscues came in the final quarter, long after the outcome had been decided.

Stephens also received solid efforts from his other two starters. Senior Caleb Ratcliffe netted six points to go with strong board play while sophomore dandy Quinton Burlenski had six points, a handful of assists and several steals.

Chaise Clark was Howard’s top support with 20 tallies.

Stephens now turns his attention to North Marion, a team Central beat twice in the regular season.

“North Marion has a strong post player and several nice perimeter players,” Stephens said. “We barely beat them at their place. It will be a dog fight Friday night.”