“Even though the outcome was not what we wanted, there is nothing to hang our heads about. We gave everything we had. Shots did not fall, but effort was there. Definitely taught us to battle adversity head on,” said senior tri-captain Zach Epp.
The Blue Devils 2024-2025 season came to a close as they faced Plainfield in the North 2 Group 4 Semi-Final round. The Cardinals came out strong in a packed stadium and advanced to the final round, winning 62-36.
After beating Piscataway 71-53 in the quarterfinal round the Blue Devils knew this would not be an easy matchup. Westfield had lost to No.2 ranked Plainfield in the regular season two times. Head coach Jim McKeon said, “It did not go our way but we had a great season and we beat a lot of good teams. I do not think this game should take away how hard these guys have worked since Thanksgiving.”
The Blue Devils kept the game competitive in the first quarter as the Cardinals were only leading by 10. However, after Westfield was not able to find an offensive rhythm in the second, Plainfield was able to pull away with a large lead. Mckeon said, “We never had to worry about the effort. It was hard for us to score today. It was never a lack of effort or passion.”
Westfield could not seem to recover in the second half. Plainfield strengthened their lead, ending the third quarter up, 52-26. However, this game was important for the Blue Devils as it was the first time they made it to the sectional semi-finals since the 2022-2023 season. McKeon said, “It all goes back to how hard they play for each other. Coaches can preach it but the players got to do it and these guys did it all the time.”
Although the Blue Devils suffered a tough loss, Senior Will Kirby said, “We obviously got beat today but that’s a great team and we never backed away from them. We kept doing our best and walked away from this smiling because of how much fun this season was.”
Ending the season with a record of 18-11 the Blue Devils had an extremely memorable season. Epp said, “While we didn’t go all the way, the success we achieved knocking off top-ranked teams and being ranked for multiple weeks means everything. It wasn’t just about wins and losses but more the relationships we built.”
