“We had 10 wins when we finished the season last year. For this team to come back, work so hard in the off season, get back to the county final and to win a state section, only the second one in school history. I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said head coach Liz McKeon.
The Blue Devils fell short to West Orange 59-47 in the Group 4 semifinals ending their memorable season.
With a packed and rowdy crowd, the competitiveness of the game radiated through the arena. The entirety of the game was choppy as the referees abused their whistles.
Due to many fouls early on, Blue Devils sophomore Mairin Fowler and junior Megan Logan had to sit for a portion of the first half. Logan said, “A lot of our players got out because of foul trouble and it messed up our chemistry.”
In the second quarter, the energy and momentum of the game shifted. West Orange’s defense began closing gaps for the Blue Devils, stopping their chances to make passes and deeming it challenging to get shots off.
As the game progressed, the Blue Devils remained within a 10-point range for the entirety of the game. Their eagerness and hard working nature comes from the leadership that has progressed his season. McKeon said, “It all comes from our two seniors. Laura [Oliveira] and Catie [Carayannopoulos] and their senior leadership is a huge difference. Their leadership and their guidance has helped everyone to be a better teammate and a better person.”
In the second and third quarter, the fouls were 9-1 for Westfield to West Orange. With some controversial calls, Westfield’s crowd was angry and West Orange’s crowd erupted with cheers. The dynamic between the crowds and the two teams translated to the game as the Blue Devils confidence fell and the Mountaineers took advantage of the momentum shift.
Carayannopoulos said, “There were a few times that we had too many turnovers in a row and they gained momentum from that. Overall, I think we were moving well, and getting good shots, but we didn’t take the momentum from the first quarter to the rest of the game.”
Looking back at the season, McKeon said, “[The team] trusted me, they trusted our staff and they trusted each other. I think that’s why we were so successful. Again, being led by Catie and Laura, buying into the culture event for four years, putting in their heart and soul into this program and they left it better than when it started.”
