With four minutes left in the first quarter, Senior tri-captains Darby Hubner and Sophie Lane knocked down a pair of threes to extend Westfield’s lead to seven. From there, they never looked back as they went on to win by 15, maintaining their lead throughout the game.
Early on in the first half the Blue Devils established their dominance over SPF. Coming into the contest, Westfield, ranked no. 8 in NJ and 7-0 to start their season, was confident but aware that every team poses a threat. Head coach Liz McKeon credited the team’s ability to sustain their lead to their teamwork and mindset. She said, “We know that we’ve got a target on our back and I think it’s strictly their maturity and their composure and having each other’s backs”
Despite SPF’s record, the Blue Devils treat every game against them the same. “They always come and play hard. It doesn’t matter what kind of season either team is having,” McKeon said. “Records mean nothing. The girls know that it’s just going to be a battle and it was.”
Leading the way was Westfield’s tri-captains Megan Logan and Lane. They each had double-doubles with Lane leading the way, scoring 20 points and adding 11 rebounds. Logan had more of an all-around performance, scoring 11, grabbing 10 rebounds, while adding five blocks, four steals and four assists. Both capitalized on their opportunities, going a combined 14/14 from the free-throw line.
While Westfield dominated the court, they felt that they struggled offensively. Logan said, “I feel like since our shots weren’t falling, we were kind of depending on our defense, I don’t think we let up that many. They only scored 32 points, so I feel like our defense really held up since our offense wasn’t working as well as we thought.”
Sophomore Kate Cymbor agreed, saying, “Our shots weren’t falling, I thought we played well as a team and we played good team defense.”
Along with their strong defense, the Blue Devils also take pride in their accuracy from the foul line. McKeon said, “We were 16/16 from the foul line. I mean, that’s very impressive.”
The Blue Devils look to continue their hot streak the rest of the season. On Thursday, Jan. 8 they will play Union Catholic at 4 p.m, hoping to maintain their undefeated record.
