Keegan Westafer is fouled by West Central’s Carter Lewark on a fast break in the first half of Triton’s Sectional 50 opener Tuesday. (Photos by James Costello)

BOURBON — With an opening-round draw opposite winless West Central, Triton coach Jason Groves still wanted to see his team start sectional play fast.

The host Trojans did that and then some, jumping out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and rolling to an 82-34 win in a Trojans-versus-Trojans matchup in Bourbon.

“That’s what I told the kids — ‘In the postseason everybody is 0-0. You guys have got to come out ready to go. It’s about us at this point. Come out and do what we’re supposed to, and let that take care of itself,’” said Groves. “And I thought our kids did that.”

Triton led by 10 points less than halfway through the opening period following Tyson Yates’ three-pointer from the corner on an Ashton Oviedo assist. Oviedo sparked the home team early with 16 of his game-high 18 points — earned largely at a 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc — and four of his five assists, all in the first half. Triton owned a 43-15 cushion at halftime and never looked back.

“Tyson Yates is a sophomore. Ashton Oviedo is a sophomore. Now Ashton started all year last year, but Tyson didn’t. Tyson played a lot of JV, so I think he’s coming into his own right now. It’s nice to see that,” said Groves. “They’re playing with confidence. Our team has a little bit more of an identity; they know who they are. We know who we are offensively. We know who we are defensively. So I just think we’re a little more comfortable in our own skin. It’s nice to see these guys really change the way they’ve played throughout the year.”

Triton benefitted from a balanced scoresheet that saw four players in double figures.

Tyler Heckaman put up a double-double of 12 points with 11 rebounds behind Oviedo’s game-high output, but the other two double-digit producers both came off the bench as Groves substituted liberally throughout Tuesday’s game. Hunter McIntyre finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots, and Keegan Westafer scored 10 as Triton got 32 points from its bench in the win.

Hunter McIntyre finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots coming off the bench Tuesday.

“Look at the last eight, nine games, it’s been nail-biters, so it’s kind of hard to get some of those guys some serious PT. So it was nice to be able to do that tonight,” explained Groves. “They can come in and feel comfortable and try to do some things. I thought Hunter McIntyre in the second half played really well. It was nice to see those guys step up.”

The host Trojans also got 42 points off turnovers as West Central turned the ball over 28 times — compared to just eight turnovers by Triton — and won the battle of the boards 31-23. Garret Leman scored 11 points, and Ayden White finished with 10 for the visitors, who closed the season at 0-23.

Triton moved to 13-10 and advances to play LaCrosse in Friday’s night’s opening semifinal. Argos handed Culver Community a 30-18 loss in Tuesday’s other quarterfinal and will play Oregon-Davis in Friday’s nightcap. Saturday’s championship is set for 7 p.m. in Bourbon.

“You see LaCrosse on film, they’re good,” said Groves. “They have multiple guys who can do multiple things. They’re super balanced. They have a point guard that’s quick and can get to the basket. They have a big guy who is their leading scorer who can score inside and out. They have another guard who can do basically anything. They have a kid shooting like 50 percent from the 3-point line. Our kids saw them once and were like ‘Oh, these guys are good.’ We know they’re a good basketball team. We’ve got to show up and play. That’s for sure.”