After trailing by around ten points for the entirety of the first half, the Blue Devils were desperate to make a run for it and knock off their rivals, the New Providence Pioneers. In one fell swoop, and just under 30 seconds, Westfield brought the score to within one point with threes from sophomore Mairin Fowler and junior Sophie Lane, followed by a layup from senior tri-captain Catie Carayannopoulos. The Blue Devils had turned the tables and for the first time all game the Pioneers were on their toes.
Unfortunately for Westfield, New Providence did not waiver under pressure, shooting the gap on a Westfield pass and converting a game sealing layup with just 20 seconds left. The Blue Devils were able to get a last second layup of their own however it was too little too late and the Pioneers pulled away 43-41 to take the win.
At their last meeting, New Providence cruised past Westfield for a 58-44 win. This time, it wasn’t going to be so easy. The Blue Devils came out hot, grabbing a very early lead, but after too many costly turnovers, the Pioneers clawed back to take the first quarter 14-10.
As the second quarter started the Blue Devils began to fall off their track and found themselves behind by 10. With momentum building in favor of New Providence, Sophie Lane hit a crucial three with three minutes left in the half to keep the lead at bay. Heading into the half, the Blue Devils trailed 26-18.
With such impressive defensive players on the opposition, such as Annie Conover, the Blue Devils were riddled with turnovers. Carayannopoulos said, “We have to not telegraph our passes as much and incorporate some ball fakes and bounce passes.”
The Blue Devils may have been down, but they showed no sign of giving up. The second half started as a defensive bout, with both only scoring off free throws for the first four minutes. Then Carayannopoulos broke the silence with two back-to-back layups, cutting the lead to just five.
New Providence was able to hold this lead for the next 10 minutes of gameplay by matching the Blue Devils on the offensive end. It wasn’t until the combined effort of Fowler, Lane and Carayannopoulos cut the lead to one that a win began to feel palpable. The game came down to a couple plays where the Blue Devils failed to convert on their opportunities.
Fowler said, “Starting out in the second quarter, those first four minutes our defense wasn’t organized and we gave up a lot of crucial points, and that kind of created the lead for them so we had to claw our way back the whole time and it was a hard place to start.”
Head coach Liz McKeon concurred with Fowler, adding that the Blue Devils need to “play a full 32 minutes.” She said, “Not that we were taking any minutes off but we need to play a complete game from beginning to end especially against such a tough competitor like New Providence.”
The Blue Devils will be back in action away at 5:30 p.m. against Rossele Catholic this Thursday. Westfield previously toppled the Lions 53-50 in a nailbiter.
