WESTWOOD — Whether it was in man-to-man or zone, the Westwood boys basketball workforce’s protection was not going to permit a lot in opposition to Norwood on Wednesday evening.
With a suffocating effort on that finish of the ground, and simply sufficient on the opposite, Westwood (6-0) stayed good with a 48-39 victory.
“(We want to play like that) every night,” Westwood coach Ryan Douglass stated. “That’s our identity. We know we have plenty of firepower on offense. We’ve got guys who can come off the bench and score for us. What really matters is what we do on the defensive end.”
Norwood (4-2) solely scored two factors within the first quarter. Westwood solely allowed six factors in a pivotal third quarter. The Mustangs solely made their first 3-pointer of the sport with 2:03 to play. It was a defensive clinic, and bodes properly for a Westwood workforce that desires to make a deep match run in Division 2.
Offensively, junior Eli Ifrah scored 16 factors, together with two treys. Senior ahead Andrew Weeman scored 13 factors, additionally with two from lengthy distance. It was definitely sufficient for a Westwood workforce that by no means trailed.
“He’s tremendous. He’s a college basketball player through and through,” Douglass stated of Weeman. “He’s got a lot of interest. When he’s able to let the game come to him, there’s not a whole lot of things he can’t do. But, when he tries to force things, it doesn’t go as great. But he let the game come to himself at times. It was pretty.”
Matty Mahoney led Norwood with 13 factors.
“We’re feeling good,” Weeman stated. “We’re not satisfied, though. We’re always looking to the next step.”
The Wolverines got here out in a 1-2-2 trapping zone, and had Norwood off kilter from the soar. Amari Ashley had 4 factors down low as Westwood took a 13-2 lead after 1 / 4.
Norwood rallied some within the second, and pulled to inside 23-16 by the break regardless of a banked 3-pointer by Ifrah on the buzzer.
But Westwood pulled away within the third. The key was a 13-0 run that featured back-to-back triples from Vic Ganson and Ryan Gaffney because the Wolverines led 38-22.
Norwood by no means actually threatened after that, and Westwood posted one other high quality win within the early going.
“I think the hunger is coming off our Elite Eight run last year,” Douglass stated. “A lot of guys got tremendous experience, and we want to get back to where we’re supposed to be.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com