The whistle blew and the first-half scoreboard read 26-25 Rumson-Fair Haven beating Westfield. By the time the third quarter ended the Bulldogs only added two points to their score with free throws. Yet, the Blue Devils ended the quarter with 26 more points.
Head coach Liz McKeon said, “At half time I challenged them to come out and play team basketball, and that third quarter was a thing of beauty.” Agreeing with McKeon, sophomore Mairin Fowler thought the team “started off a bit rocky” but then they were able to “pull away in the third quarter and build off that momentum.”
The first two quarters showed two competitive teams, with back-and-forth baskets on each side. However, the Blue Devils were able to lock in the win with powerful offensive plays. Fowler said, “The energy from the first to the second half is what led us to win. We started out kinda slow but then we sped ourselves up and got really crazy, turning the ball over a lot. In the third quarter, we were able to settle in and just calm down.” The game ended with the Blue Devils dominating a 61-36 win.
Coming into the season there are nine returners, sophomore Catherine Oliveira said, “We already have strong team chemistry.” Additionally, McKeon said, “When we share the ball, with not many threes, just all layups, that’s just from them working all year not just in November, they have already grown so much since last year and I’m extremely proud of them.”
Looking forward to the upcoming season, Oliveira said, “We are 3-0 so far, and it’s a great start to the season, but we can’t let down even though we were down in the first half, we came back stronger and won the game.”
The Blue Devils were back in action in a tournament against Freehold Township on Dec. 27, and won 39-32 to continue their undefeated record.
Coming up, at 2 p.m. on Monday, Westfield will play Monroe away. “Moving forward the team just has to keep going. To be 3-0 going into Christmas break is a great feeling and we are not going to take our foot off the gas. We are going to continue and show what this team is capable of doing,” said McKeon.
