Westfield traveled to Summit on Thursday night to take on the 3-12 Hilltoppers, and the Blue Devils were dominant. Westfield opened the game on a 7-0 run, outclassing the lowly Hilltoppers with a suffocating press defense and excellent transition offense.
It was that press defense that head coach Liz McKeon attributed to helping the team get going offensively: “It was important coming off our last game, struggling defensively, to use the press to propel us offensively, especially since we were missing some shots early.” And so it did. The Blue Devils accumulated 14 steals, which helped them push the pace of the game and pick up a large number of points through transition offense.
Senior standout Annie Ryan was the catalyst to an efficient Westfield offense. In a 17-point outing, Ryan was everywhere. She spoke on the importance of transition offense leading to overall team success: “We get a lot of our baskets off of open layups and it’s a big help to the team.” She added that the team “looks to push the ball up before the other team gets a chance to set up.”
Summit ended the first half with a buzzer-beating three, cutting its deficit to just 10. However, that would be as close as the Hilltoppers would get. Ryan opened the second half with a pair of 3-pointers, and along with a tough Sutton Factor finish at the rim Westfield had regained control of the game and would keep its foot on the gas until the end. The Blue Devils utilized communication and their height advantage to win control of the paint and take over the boards. Sophomore Catie Carayannopoulos and senior co-captain Paige Gorczyca accounted for 18 of the team’s 37 rebounds, helping prevent second-chance opportunities and transform defense into offense.
The Blue Devils acknowledge the success they have had this season but understand they are far from where they want to be if they hope to recapture the state title they won last season. “We’ll need to improve everywhere, everyday,” said McKeon. “Boxing out, defense, rebounding, communication, everything.” Ryan added, “It starts with defense,” explaining that defense will continue to be a focus in practice.
This win improves Westfield’s record to 12-4. The Blue Devils will travel to Randolph on Saturday, looking to put a stop to the Rams’ 7-game win streak.
