After going 10-16 in their 2023-24 season, it’s not far off to assume that many were expecting a rebuilding year for the Blue Devils. However, the team themselves knew that this wouldn’t be the case. Rather than rebuild, the girls reloaded with a young, but skilled roster, defying all expectations and finishing with a 24-7 record and capturing the programs second ever North 2, Group 4 sectional title.
Coming into the season with only three seniors – two playing on the court and one filling a leadership role as manager – the Blue Devils dominated with a young team. It seemed that there was a lot of knowledge and experience for these seniors to pass down to the underclassmen, however this imbalance seemed not to be a problem for Westfield. As head coach Liz McKeon said, “It’s about quality, not quantity.”
Throughout the season, these seniors did a fantastic job leading their team through many glorious wins and tough losses, however through it all “it was evident the underclassmen trusted them and respected them and that makes such a difference if you want to be a successful team,” said McKeon.
The Blue Devils came out the gates hot, starting their season 8-2 with the only losses coming from Chatham and New Providence, two of the top ranked teams in the state. Nevertheless, the Blue Devils took both teams down to the wire, including a quadruple overtime on senior night against Chatham. “Although we didn’t win, the fact that we went to four overtime’s with the best public school in the state showed how much potential and resiliency we had even from the beginning of the season,” said senior captain Catie Carayannopoulos.
After this boost of confidence, the team would finish the rest of the regular season 9-3, before battling to the Union County Tournament final. There they would fall short to New Providence once again, who have proved to be one of the Blue Devils toughest opponents. Sophomore guard Mairin Fowler said, “I really want to finally get over New Providence, I am 0-6 against them in my highschool career and next year they are losing key players too, so I think we can beat them.”
One theme all year for this team was resilience. So, after their heartbreaking finish in the UCT, they focused that energy on the sectional and Group 4 state tournament. As a result, they captured the sectional title, for only the second time in program history, by beating a No. 1 seeded and No. 8 ranked Bayonne in the final.
In retrospect, Carayannopoulos said, “We worked our way up progressively this season through discipline and motivation, and upsetting Bayonne to win sectionals is the culmination of our entire season. I’m proud of how we really came together at the end.”
Overall the season was glittered with team success, but also individual success. Junior Sophie Lane finished with 437 points and 180 rebounds. Now with 687 points in two years, Lane has her scopes on the 1000-point threshold for her senior season.
Junior Megan Logan accumulated 304 points and 185 rebounds. Fowler grabbed 235 points and 80 rebounds. Carayannopoulos logged 175 points and a staggering 293 rebounds. Sophomore Catherine Olivera scored 191 points and 130 rebounds.
Overall, the success was a complete team effort, while some may have shouldered the brunt of the scoring, everyone contributed in their own way. Mckeon, mirroring this idea, said it was very valuable that “at any point in time, any one of our girls could step up and hurt our opponent.”
Returning their four top scorers, it’s safe to say the Blue Devils have no plans of going anywhere next year. Fowler said, “Losing [Carayannopoulos] is going to be hard, especially because of rebounding, but I think we are just going to keep building our team chemistry and hopefully keep winning.”
Speaking on behalf of next season, McKeon said, “Our goals are always the same: compete as a team at the highest level, and continue to represent Westfield to the best of our ability. We always have high expectations and our goals are always to compete for the conference, the county, the section, and the group.”
In the end, it was a season of ups and downs, however mostly ups. The team’s tight bond and extreme skill led them to make history and leave a lasting impression on the program. Don’t be surprised when the Blue Devils pick up right where they left off next year.
