Wailing crowds filled the bustling atmosphere of the Plainfield gym. Graphics flashed on the scoreboard, signaling another dunk from the Plainfield star NaJai Hines. Despite maximum efforts from the starting five, including a 17-point game from senior Enzo Ferrero, Westfield failed to get past the number two-ranked juggernaut of the Cardinals, ending with a final score of 77-54.
Plainfield set the tone early, pushing ahead 9-5 after a free throw. Westfield refused to back down and tied it up at 9 following a layup from junior Jake Russel. After a back-and-forth battle for the lead, Ferrero knocked in a three-pointer bringing Westfield up 17-15 going into the second quarter. “My teammates know what to do and how our offense works,” said Ferrero. “Whenever they’re not working through their game, they can find me in the corners and can rely on me to knock it down for the team.”
The second quarter started out in the Blue Devil’s favor, with senior Tyshawn Pearson making two free throws. Senior Will Kirby followed suit with a three-pointer, making the score 22-17 Westfield. Plainfield started to show resistance, and after two free throws found themselves up 32-24. Westfield found themselves facing foul after foul on the defensive end, which allowed the Cardinals to surge ahead 37-24 going into the half. “Their players stepped up today,” said head coach James McKeon. “We played physical, and that’s all we can ask for.”
After an extended halftime due to hoop malfunctions, Westfield came out strong. After another three-pointer from Ferrero and a dominant performance from junior Connor Whelan, the Blue Devils began to catch up to Plainfield at 43-37. This sudden burst of energy would not be enough, as Westfield began to lose momentum towards the end of the third quarter. “We knew we had to be as physical as possible to make it difficult for them,” said Whelan. “We did what we could, but at the end of the day they outscored us.”
The fourth quarter marked the end of Westfield’s pushback, with Plainfield holding them to just eight more points. “You can’t get down to the double digits to the number two team in the state, trying to fight back the whole time is a difficult task,” said McKeon. “If we hit a couple more shots towards the end of the second quarter, I think it’s a different game.”
Westfield will travel to Linden on February 1 at 7:00 pm.
