“At halftime, we talked about our miscues and we talked about how we were the problem. They weren’t doing anything, it was us. We had nine turnovers, and we weren’t rebounding which is one of the things we pride ourselves on. Then we snapped out of it and put the pedal to the medal and opened the gap,” said head coach Liz McKeon.
This gap was evident as soon as the whistle blew signifying the second half had begun. Immediately, junior Sara Rooney helped the girls jump out to a commanding 9–0 run, extending the lead to 29–10. Rooney would finish the game with 12 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter.
“I drove to the basket and dished it out a lot. Driving to the paint and being really confident with the ball really helped a lot when it came to scoring,” said Rooney on her big third quarter.
A sweet pass from senior co-captain Paige Gorczyca to senior co-captain Sutton Factor extended the lead to 20. The girls looked unstoppable and showed glimpses of their magical 2021-22 state championship run.
Oak Knoll, however, was fueled by its student section, which was small in number yet mighty in pride. Oak Knoll had a run of its own, forcing the Blue Devils to call a timeout up only 16. The Royals continued to apply pressure to the Blue Devils, cutting the lead to 13 at the end of the third quarter.
The Blue Devils slaughtered this momentum by sticking to their bread and butter: rebounding the basketball and driving to the hoop. Westfield closed out the game with a 7–0 run and went on to win, 42–22, not allowing a single point in the fourth quarter.
The game plan for Westfield was simple: dominate. Factor came out fired up to complete this plan as she started off with an early steal and routine layup.
This theme of Westfield’s ability to score transitional buckets was common throughout the matchup. However, Oak Knoll was prepared to account for the Blue Devils’ quickness on the court. The Royals’ pressuring defense and swiftness allowed them to limit Westfield and keep the score at the end of the first quarter close at 8–6 Blue Devils.
McKeon’s passionate shouts echoed throughout the small, cramped gym as she urged her players to be more aggressive. Fists clenched and heads up, Westfield was ready to make its coach proud. An early 3-pointer gave the Blue Devils quick momentum and a few more transitional buckets forced a much-needed timeout for Oak Knoll.
With the Blue Devils pushing the score to 15–7, they had room to work and position themselves as the state champions they are known to be. Senior Cara Van Allen sure played like Ray Allen, drilling a clutch 3-pointer to increase the Blue Devil lead to 20–10 at halftime.
Westfield never trailed in the game, nor was it at any point tied except the opening tipoff. While Westfield has things to work on, such as defensive rebounding—in the first half they allowed numerous second-chance points—coach McKeon wants fans to know that it was a good start to the season and the girls are still shaking their rust off.
Westfield hopes to continue its terror on the court as its faces New Providence on Saturday. Last season, the Blue Devils faced New Providence three times, and lost all three times, so it promises to be a challenging matchup. Because of this, Factor harped on the fact that the team needs to play better offensively and rebound better, and then, and only then, will they be able to come out victorious in this star-studded matchup.
