The Westfield lead billowed and sagged, stretched and shrank. But in a whirlwind of a second half—one riddled with growls and shouts from the most boisterous basketball crowd to fill the WHS gym this season—the Westfield lead never collapsed.
Westfield, the No. 5 seed in the North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament, rebuffed Watchung Hills, the No. 12 seed, 56–50, in an intense first-round game on Tuesday. The Warriors stormed to two separate 8-0 runs in the fourth quarter, transforming what had been a commanding 14-point Westfield advantage into a tenuous 2-point lead. But they never bridged the gap.
“It was a big, emotional game,” said TJ Halloran, who scored 13 points and collected 8 rebounds. “We told [the underclassmen] to stay calm. They did.”
Westfield advanced to Thursday’s quarterfinals. In a salivating twist, the opponent awaiting Westfield is No. 13 Scotch Plains-Fanwood, which upset No. 4 Elizabeth. The Raiders and the Blue Devils will collide on Thursday at 7 p.m. at WHS. It will be the teams’ second meeting this season, after Westfield beat SPF, 48–45, in early January.
But it looked—for a moment, at least—that Westfield’s season had a Tuesday night expiration date. The nerves on the Westfield side mounted during Watchung Hills’s second 8-point run, which culminated with only a few minutes left.
Westfield led, 49–44, when Watchung Hills’s Brayden Kolakowski drove and was fouled. The whistle blew, and he wobbled to the floor and threw the ball skyward.
A prayer. Answered.
The ball went in high off the glass, Kolakowski made the ensuing free throw, and suddenly it was 49–47. Westfield averted disaster, though, despite missing free throws that could have eased the bubbling tension.
“We settled down and did what we had to do down the stretch,” Westfield head coach James McKeon said. He lamented his team’s struggles from the free-throw line but added, “The guys handled the pressure. It’s the states. Anything can happen.”
Shane Sheehan led Westfield with 20 points and 3 blocks. His thunderous dunks and blocks energized the Westfield crowd. Theo Sica followed with 14 points and 6 assists. Sica and Tyshawn Pearson each had 4 steals.
The game marked the latest chapter in a budding rivalry between Westfield and Watchung Hills. The two schools have become familiar foes this year, colliding in sectional tournaments in boys soccer, girls soccer, girls volleyball and girls swimming. Westfield won three of those four meetings.
The nascent rivalry on Tuesday moved another step closer to calcification.
“We knew Watchung Hills wasn’t going to come in here and roll over,” McKeon said.
“We expected exactly what they did,” Halloran said. “Physical team. Hit corner threes. Great shooters. Very well coached.”
Westfield dragged a three-game losing streak into Tuesday night’s game. The Blue Devils had lost to Union Catholic in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals and to Marlboro and Immaculata in sectional tournament tune-up games.
“We have a next-day mentality,” Halloran said. “We didn’t let [those losses] rattle us.”
On Tuesday, Westfield led at halftime, 29–24, then extended its lead to 40–26 midway through the third quarter. There was a time this season when the third quarter was Westfield’s graveyard. Not anymore.
Watchung Hills had a surprising amount of fans. But Westfield had even more. They stood and howled and clapped. And then, with the clock not quite at zero, the Warrior fans filtered out.
In the aftermath, as people milled around the court, a motley crew formed a loose semicircle around a chair on the Westfield bench. The group comprised McKeon, a couple photographers, athletic director Sandy Mamary, a reporter, head girls basketball coach Liz McKeon and a teacher.
A phone hovered between them, a phone showing the final moments of SPF’s victory over Elizabeth.
Eventually they all realized what was about to happen. That SPF was about to win. That the Raiders were coming to town on Thursday night. That a charged rivalry bedecked with history was about to reignite.
“It’s gonna be a great environment,” McKeon said. “Our kids are ready.”
Standing there, the group watching the SPF-Elizabeth game thought about Thursday’s matchup. And some of them chuckled gleefully.
