“IT’S NOT OVER. HE WANTED TO QUIT. IT’S NOT OVER. MAKE THEM ALL QUIT,” yelled Westfield head coach James McKeon into the huddle toward the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils erupted in cheers and sailed to a 76-24 victory.
Frustration is inevitable when a team has kept you under 20 points entering the fourth quarter, especially in the first round of the North 2, Group 4 Sectional tournament.
It was clear Newark East Side was overwhelmed as tempers flared, and soon one of their key players– senior Amari Delacruz– was at the center of a scuffle that resulted in himself and Westfield’s Aidan Wall being ejected. The altercation was swift but significant, marking the heightened tensions of the game.
“I am happy when our guys don’t back down… I don’t want [Wall] to be in a fight, but he also needs to stand up for himself when someone is charging at him for the second time in a game,” said McKeon.
However, before this confrontation, the Blue Devils had already established their dominance. The game began with East Side winning the tip-off, but Westfield wasted no time asserting control.
Senior tri-captain Zach Epp had a defensive steal that led to the Blue Devils’ first possession of the bout. Tyshawn Pearson, a senior tri-captain, nonchalantly dribbled up the court and ran their set first play. Epp lined up, snuck behind his defender and launched himself into the air for a powerful dunk, assisted by Pearson’s alley-oop from half court.
The Blue Devils’ steals continued, tallying a total of 18 by the end of the game and played a major role in their extensive lead. “We did a great job on defense pushing it out in transition after getting steals,” said Epp.
East Side struggled early with their offense, and although they fought for every rebound, gaining a multitude of second chances, their efforts couldn’t slow Westfield’s momentum.
Pearson deflected passes, Epp hustled for fast breaks, junior Max MacEacheron sank five three-pointers and senior Will Kirby blocked shots left and right. The Blue Devils’ defense suffocated East Side’s offense, building a commanding 19-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter mirrored the first, with Westfield’s offense flowing seamlessly. The Blue Devils finished the half with 10 assists and the game with 23 assists, making it evident that they “did a fantastic job sharing the basketball,” said McKeon. “Even in transition we gave it up and made the extra pass, which has been a focus we’ve had for the whole year.”
Despite some brief moments of hope for East Side, the Blue Devils’ defense and crisp ball movement continued to shine, ending the half 34-6.
After the break, East Side’s irritation only grew, as the third quarter ended with a steal and fast-break layup from MacEacheron to cap off an impressive 26-7 stretch. It was clear the game was out of reach for the Red Raiders.
“We came out today with the most energy we’ve had all year and we just played our butts off. As a team, we kept coming together and telling each other that the score was 0-0,” said senior tri-captain Enzo Ferraro. “We just needed to keep working and creating a bigger margin and making sure to keep our foot on their throat and not let go.”
The game reached its boiling point in the fourth quarter. After a defensive stop by senior Farid Habayeb, the fight broke out between players on both sides. “These guys wanted to throw punches literally and figuratively, but I just wanted to run the score up more,” said McKeon. “I don’t know if I was really grounded at all, I wished we scored more points on them.”
Before the jump ball, this matchup meant more to the Blue Devils than a simple annihilation. “My sophomore year, we played them and they ended up beating us by thirty, so that was in the back of our minds the whole entire night,” said Epp.
Ferraro said something similar, “We have been talking about this game for longer than I can remember. [Two years ago] we had our seniors go out on a really bad note against this team and then their coaches stepped on our W and we weren’t going to take that lightly.”
At the end of the game, McKeon had everyone in the Westfield stands come onto the court and take a picture with the team. “It’s a little bit of a revenge, bringing out our community to take a photo because that is our W and no one else’s,” said McKeon.
Next, the Blue Devils will play away against Piscataway at 5:30 p.m. for the quarterfinal round of the sectional tournament.
McKeon made it clear that while this win over the Raiders was satisfying, it was just the beginning of their tournament run. “We need to keep going, and I heard Piscataway won, so we will be on the road the rest of the way. It’s a good way to end the season on this court. Good way for the seniors to end it here,” he said.
As for Epp and Ferraro, the victory was important not just for the score but for their team chemistry. Epp echoed McKeon’s sentiments, “We still need to stay humble. I know we won by 50, but we have a really tough match coming up. We just need to keep rolling and use this as momentum.”
Ferraro summed it up and said, “This was a really important win for us. Now we have a good game against a tough team and this game helped us with our energy, consistency, and efficiency.”
