After senior tri-captain Max Maceacheron drained a three-pointer, breaking two school records and sealing his place in WHS basketball history, the gym erupted in cheers. A collective team effort led to a 62-49 victory over Oratory Prep, and the Blue Devils move on to the quarterfinal of the Union County Tournament.
Despite a series of losses throughout the season, the Blue Devils have posted a 4-2 record in their past six matchups, demonstrating their potential as a team. The Blue Devils entered the game determined to continue proving themselves after a competitive win on Feb. 10. Their last two wins bring Westfield’s record for the season thus far to 8-16.
Early in the game, neither team could pull away with the lead, as possession went back and forth between the Rams and the Blue Devils. By the end of the first quarter, Westfield was up 12-10.
Senior tri-captain Jake Russell said, “We knew that this team thought they could beat us and thought that they were better than us, so we used that as motivation. We know how good we are, so we just went out there and played our type of game, with a lot of energy and passion. We knew we could beat them.”
“I think it’s just a testament of what we’ve been playing the last two and a half weeks. We are playing really good basketball. There are just levels to it,” agreed head coach James McKeon. “Our record might say different, but we play one of the hardest schedules in the entire state. So we’re prepared.”
As the game gained momentum, Maceacheron made WHS history, breaking the WHS record for most three-pointers in a career and in a single season.
“It’s pretty exciting. We’ve been talking about it for the last few games, so it’s kind of a relief to get it over with, and I could play without thinking about it,” said Maceacheron. ”I didn’t really know that specific one was the three to break the record, because we had a nice little run going, but it felt good. I’m just happy to be here.”
While the team celebrated Maceacheron’s milestone, the Blue Devils success, especially during this game, was built on shared effort and achievement. “We’re multiple people doing our job. We’re not just relying on one guy,” said McKeon.
Maceacheron and sophomore Jack Doherty led the team in points, with 26 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Aidan Wall led the team in rebounds, while sophomore Andrew Roofener led the team in blocks. There were eight point scorers across the board, underscoring a quality team effort for the Blue Devils.
On Feb. 14, the Blue Devils will go up against Plainfield at 6:30 pm at the Dunn Center in the quarterfinal round of the Union County Tournament.
