Westfield’s center, captain and senior, Shane Sheehan soared into the air to meet a lofted pass on a fast break, received the ball, and slammed it down, hanging onto the rim for a brief moment. The Westfield bleachers all stood up, reinvigorated by the Blue Devils’ sudden show of athleticism. It was Senior Day, and this senior wanted to show out in front of his home crowd.
As it stood, they had just scored the first points of the second quarter, but were still down 5-10. Within the next two minutes of play, a mid-range shot from junior Zach Epp and two 3-pointers from sophomore Max MacEacheron pulled Westfield above the Summit Hilltoppers 13-10.
Following a stagnant first quarter and a lengthy stoppage to clean the court, Westfield seemed to have come out swinging, ready to take control of the game. However, the Hilltoppers matched or exceeded whatever level of intensity Westfield brought out, parrying any scoring with that of their own.
After every Blue Devil basket Summit mounted a quick riposte in the form of their own. Summit’s flow of quick, clean passes and stifling defense allowed them to capture a lead of 11 points by the end of the third quarter. Sheehan said, “I think we struggled with pressure and intensity and matching their pace. Seems like they wanted it more, and we struggled with matching their intensity.”
Westfield’s day was bookended by two sub-double-digit quarters, and only outscored Summit during their energetic second quarter. Perhaps they had expended this energy too soon, as the Hilltoppers took control once more after the half, scoring 21 points before the fourth quarter began. “I think at times we got good shots, but there wasn’t that much that was great today,” remarked Sheehan. Westfield’s two graduating seniors Sheehan and Stephen Edwards ended with 10 points and 2 points respectively, and were among Westfield’s five scorers.
To which they attribute their struggles, head coach James McKeon put it simply: “They competed harder than us.” With this 33-46 loss, the Blue Devils matched their season-low for points and fell to a 5-8 record. With seven games and less than two weeks left in the regular season, Westfield has plenty of opportunities to scrounge out a winning record for the year.
Their next step will take place this upcoming Monday the 20th at 4:00 pm, when they take on Union at home.
