Coming into the game, the Blue Devils knew what needed to be done. After a tough 72-30 loss to Roselle Catholic on Dec. 23, this second appearance seemed to be a revenge game against the Lions. While Westfield was able to keep the score close, putting them in contention for the entire game, ultimately, a controversial call would give RC a 56-55 win.
The Blue Devils came out strong to start the game. Junior Donald Meixner opened the game with two quick buckets that propelled the Blue Devils off to a 4-0 lead. Westfield had clearly come to play and continued to trade buckets with RC. As the first quarter had come to a close, the Blue Devils were only trailing by one point.
After a fiery end-of-quarter talk from the RC coach to his team, they came out eager to pull away from Westfield. Numerous buckets from RC’s senior guard Treveyon Lewis helped the Lions extend their 33-24 lead to end the first half.
Westfield’s mindset stayed consistent throughout as senior tri-captain Max MacEacheron opened the second half with back-to-back threes, shrinking the Blue Devils’ deficit to three points and giving them the sight of a comeback, which forced an RC timeout.
The game continued to go back-and-forth, but eventually the Blue Devils took the lead after a quality finish from sophomore guard Talan Lewis to put the team up 38-37 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Looking at the stats of both teams, Westfield was the clear underdog and gave this game their all to have a chance at coming out on top against a top-10 team. Meixner echoed this, stating, “We try as hard as possible. I’m happy with how our team played, and I’m happy with the fight that we showed.”
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle, with each possession critical as the clock wound down. Meixner hit a clutch bucket to put the Blue Devils up 55-54 with 46 seconds left. RC had the ball and despite the missed shot, they finished a putback layup to gain the lead with 12 seconds left.
This gave Westfield a chance to hit a winning shot. Lewis swung the ball to senior Rashawn Eutsey, who found senior Aidan Wall, but a travel call by the referees would put an end to the hopes of a comeback win for the Blue Devils. The bleachers erupted as a variety of emotions were expressed by the students and parents of both sides.
Head coach James McKeon spoke on the final decision, saying, “I’m never gonna put it on the refs. It’s never the refs’ fault.”
A few mistakes throughout the game prevented Westfield from capitalizing on every possession. “We played well enough to be in the game, but we didn’t execute at times. It’s a tough one,” McKeon said.
Despite this defeat, this game gives the Blue Devils confidence for the remainder of the season. Meixner said, “I think the biggest thing with this is it just shows that we can compete with any team in the state. As long as we believe going into any game, we’re gonna be able to come out on top versus anyone.”
The team was aware of the competition they were up against, but used that experience to propel them in this recent matchup. Eutsey said, “I just feel like things didn’t go right at the last minute, but I’m proud of how we played.” While there was no expectation of coming out on top, the team showed what they are capable of competing down to the wire in what could have been the big win the team needed.
The Blue Devils will face Elizabeth at home on Jan. 29 and hope to continue showing grit and perseverance, especially when they face top-ranked teams in the state. However, multiple players will be required to step up as the Blue Devils will be without MacEacheron, as he received a two-game suspension after the game had ended.
