After two back-to-back three pointers from sophomore Jack Doherty, the Blue Devils started to use their momentum at the start of the second half, and did not let it drop for the rest of the game. Westfield was able to widen the gap in the fourth quarter to secure their 64-56 win over 13-5 Madison.
Coming off of a tough loss against Union Catholic on Tuesday, the Blue Devils knew they needed to perform in preparation for the county tournament starting next week. Head coach James McKeon said, “We’ve been playing well in the last two weeks, and it’s the right time to be performing. It is crunch time, and we have to make sure we do the right things to make sure we’re there in the end.”
The boys were able to make their presence known in both the paint and outside the three point line, the energy carried them through the entire game in order to get open and sink the shots. Senior captain Jake Russell led the Blue Devils with 21 points: 5 three-pointers and 3 two-pointers.
With familiar faces playing on Madison, the boys understood the importance of the game. Russell said, “We knew today was a must win game for us. We know a lot of these kids, so it meant extra to us.”
The start of the game went back and forth for who was leading, but there was a clear shift in the start of the second half. The boys’ energy was high and it translated directly to the court. Senior co-captain Max MacEacheron was up there with Russell with a total of 14 points.
Junior Liam Washbourne added 8 points to the Blue Devils strong performance. The team stood out in their three point shooting. Washbourne stated, “We improved significantly from last game by limiting turnovers and also hitting shots. As a team we hit 12 three pointers.”
Even with Madison being a very strong team, coming off of a sectional title last year, it was clear shooting was a big part of their game and being able to perform well ultimately led them to their win. McKeon said, “I think we executed the game plan well, and we shot the ball well as a whole, not just one guy.”
The Blue Devils will look to win again this Saturday in a tough rematch against Linden at home at 4 pm.
