Shane Sheehan, his curly hair matted to his forehead by sweat, grabbed the pass and stuffed the ball through the hoop. A dunk. The big man’s first of the season. “Finally,” head coach James McKeon said.
The dunk arrived early in the third quarter, jerking the Westfield bench to its feet and eliciting a clapping storm. Sheehan blocked a shot on the ensuing defensive possession, and the roars redoubled.
Those roars were characteristic of Westfield’s 66–61 win over J.P. Stevens. Against the Hawks (0-3), the Blue Devils (1-2) secured their first victory of the season.
Westfield seized control in the second quarter and retained it for the game’s duration. The size of the gap between the teams fluctuated, billowing to 14 points at one point before sagging to 4. But, crucially, Westfield sealed the door and completed the victory.
“We were physical,” co-captain TJ Halloran said. “We executed much better, we finished better, and we shot free throws much better. We turned the ball over less.”
Two enormous performances catapulted Westfield to victory. Co-captain Theo Sica led the team with 20 points, hitting a trio of 3-pointers on his way. Sica has scored in double-figures in every game thus far and has been Westfield’s most reliable option.
Then there was Sheehan. By his own admission, Sheehan lacked an aggressive mentality during the first two games. Opponents outmuscled him beneath the hoop. He appeared hesitant to force his way to the rim.
Against J.P. Stevens, that changed.
“Past two film sessions,” Sica said, “Coach has been ripping on Shane a little bit, and I think that lit a fire in Shane.” Indeed. Sheehan tallied 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. His imposing presence inside altered Westfield’s complexion.
“He played more aggressively,” McKeon said. “And that’s all we ask. He has the skill, we just wanted him to be a more aggressive player, and he did it today. He’s a big part of why we won.”
“Be aggressive, be physical,” Sheehan said he told himself. “And I just focused on getting out of my own head and just playing basketball and having fun with it.”
But even for Sheehan’s rugged performance and Sica’s silky play, this was a team victory. McKeon praised his boys for cleaning up faults from previous games. The Blue Devils recorded 18 assists and shot 11-14 from the free-throw line. Eight players scored—Halloran perhaps did it with the most flair, spinning, rising up, drilling a jumper and backpedaling.
Westfield found valuable minutes from players coming off the bench. Noah Fischer, who McKeon describes as “a born leader” who “has the intangibles,” scored 4 points and made 3 steals. “I know he’s gonna do something right and he’s gonna pick somebody else up and not look to be the headliner,” McKeon said. “That’s just the type of kid he is.”
Billy Ryan also came off the bench to sink a big 3-pointer. The play infused Westfield with energy, and Ryan followed it by diving to the ground in pursuit of a loose ball.
“Billy was great,” McKeon said. “Billy hit a jump shot, which we know he can do, but he dove on the floor, set up another basket for somebody else. We talk about those little things that happen. You’re not going to see that in a stat. But that goes a long way.”
Westfield also found minutes from Mason Gibbs, who is working back to full strength after what McKeon described as “a tweak.” Zach Epp and TJ Halloran each scored 8 points, Tyshawn Pearson had 6, and Jake Russell added 5 points and 3 assists.
The game flew at a rapid pace. A flurry of scoring descended in the first quarter. The fast pace never relented. McKeon noted that high-speed games prevent Westfield from stagnating offensively. “We want to play up and down, and when we do that, we shoot the ball and we make shots,” he said. “When we’re stationary and dribble too much, bad things happen for us.”
The mood after the game was relaxed, relieved. Despite the delay, Westfield’s first win had arrived.
