Senior co-captain Theo Sica stepped into the passing lane, intercepting a Union Catholic pass as the clock wound down. Sica pushed it upcourt, finishing at the other end and sealing Westfield’s fifth-straight victory. The Blue Devils beat the Vikings, 62–51, at home, almost a month after losing to Union Catholic on the road by 9 points.
“We’re playing good ball each day, and each game we’re looking better and better,” said head coach James McKeon.
Defensively Westfield came into the game with an aggressive game plan, pressing Union Catholic for the majority of the game. The Blue Devils allowed little success on the perimeter, and big man Shane Sheehan controlled the inside, contributing 5 blocks. Sophomore Tyshawn Pearson was all over the Union Catholic ball handlers throughout the game, picking up 4 steals and adding a level of intensity to the Blue Devil defense. “It starts with Tyshawn being up top and being so active,” said McKeon. He added, “We always want to apply the pressure and see if people can hang with us.”
Offensively, the Blue Devils operated a successful attack. Led by Sica the offense dominated in perimeter shooting and attacking the paint. Sica held 20 points, followed by Pearson’s 17. Another bright spot for the Blue Devils offensively was sophomore Zach Epp. Epp drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game and set the tone for the way the game was going to pan out.
The Blue Devils were able to bring in a large chunk of their points through transition offense. “We pride ourselves on the fact that our defense is our offense,” said McKeon. With a total of 12 steals, the Blue Devils were able to push the tempo and keep the Vikings on their heels.
At halftime the score was close, at 32–29, but the Blue Devils didn’t let up. With the second half opening with 3-pointers by Sica and Sheehan, you could feel the energy in the arena. As the third quarter came to a close, it was a 1-point game in favor of the Blue Devils.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter kept the fans at the edge of their seats. Things took a turn in Westfield’s direction when freshman Jake Russell was able to pinpoint a pass to Sica, who again buried one from behind the arc. Sica was found again just seconds later by senior captain and RPI commit TJ Halloran, where he sunk yet another 3-point shot; the crowd erupted as the Blue Devils lengthened the gap. Then, of course, the fouls came. A series of keep-away and foul shots extended the distance between the two teams.
The Blue Devils would go on to close out the game, and with a score of 62-51 the Blue Devils had handled business. They will look to continue their hot streak on the road at 7 p.m. against Elizabeth on Thursday.
