Players, fans, coaches and trainers inside the Westfield High School gymnasium turned their attention to the score table, prior to the start of the bout between Westfield and Cranford. Standing there was senior manager Kate Fischer delivering a heartfelt message about the ongoing issue of mental health awareness for student-athletes. Both teams joined in unison at center court, wearing matching shirts to acknowledge that this game was bigger than basketball.
The game was dedicated to Morgan’s Message, an organization that strives to “eliminate the stigma” of mental health within the student-athlete community.
Fischer took the lead on organizing the event. She said, “I’ve been organizing today since the summer, I saw a lot of teams in the county doing it so I decided to take the lead and do it myself. I reached out to Coach McKeon and then Cranford and they were totally on board.”
Fischer and the teams’ hard work and dedication to this message was evident throughout the gym. Posters, t-shirts, cookies and the overall atmosphere all pointed to a good day of high school basketball. However, the game itself would turn out to be heavily in favor of the Blue Devils, as they walked away with a staggering 56-28 win over the Cougars.
Westfield’s dominant performance was headlined by 19 points from junior Sophie Lane, 10 from junior Megan Logan, and a double-double from senior Catie Carayannopoulos with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was a complete team effort from the Blue Devils making it a seamlessly dominant game against the Cougars.
Last time the two teams matched up, Cranford gave Westfield a run for their money only losing 41-45. However, this game was different, Carayannopoulos said, “[Fischer] put in so much effort for this game, so it was our job to win it for her, and the way we did it shows how important this game was to spread awareness about mental health.”
As for the actual basketball aspect of the game, Carayannopoulos attributed the win to their team chemistry and tough defense which held Cranford to 28 points.
After leading 7-0 in the first quarter there was no looking back. From four minutes left in the second quarter, the Blue Devils would maintain a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
Head coach Liz McKeon said, “We won with team defense. And we did this game in honor of Morgan’s Message and Kate Fischer. She set this whole thing up which is so impressive for a high school senior, and not only our team, but the community wanted to support her and make this a special day.”
Fischer said, “Mental health is something that is very overlooked, a lot of people think that they are only an athlete, but you have to remember that you’re also a human. And your mental health is what matters most. We need to do a better job at emphasizing it and highlighting it in our communities.”
The Blue Devils now look forward to Feb. 4 at 4:15 p.m. where they will travel to Elizabeth. The last time the two faced off, Westfield won with a commanding 49-19 victory.
