On Jan. 6, WHS boys basketball traveled to the Dunn Center in Elizabeth to face a top-20 team in the state. After a slow start in the first quarter, Elizabeth was on top 13-0 to start the game.
Regardless, the Blue Devils kept fighting back as senior Jared Lehner energized the crowd and sparked the team from the bench. Lehner entered the game, drew multiple fouls and attacked the rim, helping the Blue Devils go on a small run and cut the deficit to only five points by the end of the first quarter. Lehner said, “I just want to stay prepared. Hit down shots when I’m open and just do anything I can to help the team win”
The second quarter was a back-and-forth battle. Elizabeth opened with a quick scoring run, but the Blue Devils responded with immediate resilience. Senior tri-captain Max MacEacheron hit several key shots in the second quarter to ignite the team. “We started off slow, but we didn’t let that turn into a bad game,” MacEacheron said. “We stayed together, fought back and rallied behind each other.”
Head coach James McKeon acknowledged the challenge of starting the game off trailing Elizabeth. “We went down early, which is scary, especially playing here, but the guys fought back, and we kept fighting.”
Westfield called a timeout and after a few big defensive stops and after key shots from MacEacheron, the Blue Devils were only trailing 24-22 at halftime. The team built momentum going into the second half and aimed to keep it going in the third quarter.
Both teams came out of halftime energized. Westfield continued to battle and Lehner played a major role in the third quarter. With just three points at halftime, he knew he had to step up. In the third quarter, Lehner hit 2 threes and made 2 layups. It was a 10-point quarter for Lehner and a career-high of 13 points in the game. Despite his personal success, Lehner said, “Everything feels better with the win, so I’d rather win at the end of the day. That’s the name of the game.”
Even after a tough loss, McKeon believed this was a step forward for the team. He said, “It is still early in the season, but we have to get a big one soon, I feel one coming. We need to scratch away and focus on ourselves.”
MacEacheron made 4 threes and totaled 21 points. He was a major factor in Westfield staying in the game. Regardless of the loss, MacEacheron feels this was a step in the right direction going forward.
The Blue Devils have a quick turnaround, as they travel to Union Catholic at 7 p.m. on Thursday. MacEacheron stated, “I believe if we can execute it like we did today against Elizabeth, I like our chances [against Union Catholic].”
