Williamsport basketball players often woke up before the sun rose last summer and practiced. They often continue doing so now. The Millionaires work on all facets, but they shoot a lot.

And it’s paying off in a big way. Tuesday night against Altoona, the Millionaires reaped the fruits of that labor.

Six players combined to make 10 3-pointers and Williamsport produced another strong all-around performance as it thumped rival Altoona, 73-52 at the Magic Dome. The Millionaires (14-4) won their seventh straight game, three players finished in double figures and five scored at least eight as they put Altoona on the ropes early and never let them come off.

“We just spread the ball and find the open guy,” Zach Lake said after scoring 12 points and making four steals. “We don’t really care who the open guy is because we’re confident in that guy being able to make the play or the shot.”

They so often have. That went double Tuesday as Williamsport efficiently and unselfishly destroyed Altoona’s zone defense. The last few years, opponents often zoned up Williamsport and dared them to beat them from the outside.

Teams now do so at their own peril. The Millionaires have, arguably, their deepest pool of quality outside shooters since 2009 when they reached the state quarterfinals. Guards and forwards; starters and reserves … all can step outside and hit a 3-pointer. Doing so Tuesday helped Williamsport overwhelm Altoona and build a 23-point lead by early in the second quarter. The Mountain Lions briefly pulled as close as 15 twice in the second half but never seriously threatened after the first half barrage.

After an 0-for-2 start behind the arc, six players combined to make 7 of their next 8-point shots. That included a stretch of six straight 3-pointers and Chris White’s trey made it 36-13 less than five minutes into the second quarter. Having excellent shooters, obviously, helps against the zone, but so does moving the ball well, players moving without the basketball well and players shooting in rhythm.

Williamsport frequently has done all that against the zone this year and masterfully did so against Altoona. The Millionaires added three more second-half 3-pointers and set up the outside game by doing a nice job working the ball inside with forwards Jakhia Kline and Caleb Fausnaught scoring the first four points.

“I like my personnel out there against the zone now. I’m a lot more comfortable because we have a number of guys that can shoot, even coming off the bench,” Williamsport coach Allen Taylor said. “We have shooters in the game and shooters on the bench. As long as we’re executing and being patient, but not too patient where we’re staring at it, we execute it well. It’s guys cutting hard and moving with purpose, and when we’re moving and, in the flow, we generally get good shots against the zone.”

“Each practice we shoot and always help each other up. Every practice is fun,” Lake said. “If we miss a shot, every teammate is giving you loving love taps and saying keep shooting and it’s the same thing in games. It’s awesome.”

Williamsport’s ability to work for good shots and set each other up well helped the Millionaires shoot more than 50 percent for a fourth straight game. They also continued piling up assists, generating 17 on their 25 field goals. Nine players scored and eight dealt assists. Five players scored in the first quarter and by halftime, the Millionaires already had 10 assists.

The bench also again was outstanding. The reserves produced 31 points, including 18 in the first half when Williamsport built a 42-24 halftime lead. Jamaire Harden scored 10 points off the bench, Thomas Takach eight and White seven. White had missed the last two weeks, but made a nice impact in his return game, adding three assists and a steal.

“I was very concerned with Altoona. They have some athletes and some guys that can play,” Taylor said. “I’m just happy our guys went out and executed and knocked shots down and didn’t make it an adventure for us.”

Williamsport was two nights removed from an emotional victory against Loyalsock and a letdown was a possibility. Taylor, though, motivated his players by talking about how intense the Williamsport-Altoona rivalry has been over the years. Until early in the 2000s, Altoona was Williamsport’s biggest rival as the teams twice a season, often in games which were decided in the final minute or in overtime.

Lake said that speech had the Millionaires ready to attack and they did so like a young Mike Tyson, using a 19-0 run which bridged the first and second quarters to take control. The senior guard played a key role on both ends again, repeatedly making good decisions whenever Altoona tried to mount a comeback. He has scored at least nine points in three of Williamsport’s last five games and also is among the team leaders in assists, providing an already deep team with yet another weapon.

“I got more comfortable. The offseason work with Coach T definitely has helped,” Lake said. “Him breaking it down for me play by play has really helped me get comfortable.”

“Zach can be a pest. He’s pretty feisty on the defensive end and he’s really picked up his offense the last four or five games, chipping in double digits,” Taylor said. “With him doing that, and Jakiha and Caleb around the bucket, you’ve got five guys on the floor that you have to worry about.”

That includes George Whaley who played another strong game, providing 12 points, five assists and four steals. And Caden Holt who had nine points. And Thomas Takach who went 3 of 5 from the field. And Kyreek Bradshaw who generated a first-half spark in the same role and … well, you get the idea.

“The depth we have is not like many other teams,” Lake said. “I’m just happy to see all my teammates succeed.”

The goal now is to keep getting better each day, especially with a tough stretch of four games to close the regular season. That begins Thursday against surging Danville which is coming off a big comeback win at Loyalsock, and which has moved to the top of the District 4 Class AAAA rankings.

“It’s just a matter of keeping our players focused on one game at a time and making sure we don’t do anything different in terms of preparing for that next game,” Taylor said. “Danville is the next team up and they’re a tough team, so we have to be ready to go because they’ll be loaded for bear when we come in there.”

ALTOONA (52)

Ashton Neely 8 3-5 24, Zhaad White 3 2-5 8, Jalen Triplin 2 0-0 5, Evan Alwine 3 0-0 6, Jimere Hardison 0 2-4 2, Cohen Crawford 2 1-1 5, Josh Corso 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 8-15 52.

WILLIAMSPORT (73)

George Whaley 5 0-0 12, Jakiha Kline 2 0-0 4, Caleb Fausnaught 1 3-6 5, Zach lake 4 3-7 12, Caden Holt 3 0-0 9, Thomas Takach 3 0-0 8, Jamaire Harden 3 3-5 10, Kyreek Bradshaw 0 2-2 2, Chris White 2 2-2 7, Naamir Lowe 2 0-0 4. Totals 25 13-22 73.

Altoona 10 14 14 14-52

Williamsport 17 25 15 16-73

3-pointers: Altoona 6 (Neely 5, Triplin); Williamsport 10 (Holt 3, Whaley 2, Takach 2, Lake, Harden, White).

Records: Williamsport 14-4.