After hosting and placing third in The Bulldog Bash holiday basketball tournament, the boys’ varsity basketball team breezed past on Jan. 6, 53-43. The Bulldogs improved to 10-3, (1-0 in the district) on the season and look poised as they continue into the heart of their schedule with more Concorde competition this week.
“Quentin Basil got off and scored 13 points in the first quarter,” said Coach Doug Ewell. “We got hot and led for the entire game.”
Basil did indeed find the hot hand and led Westfield with 17 points and six rebounds, while teammate Zach Elcano followed closely behind with 14 points and seven boards against the Chargers. The Bulldogs were accurate from the field but looked even better from the stripe, knocking down 13 of 16 free throw attempts. Although out-rebounded by Chantilly 27-23, Westfield took a 10-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
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“It felt good to get into district play and get a win,” Ewell said. “And it was good that we held the Dalton Ulsby Foundation.”
Ewell said the rhythm has now kicked in since some players came in late due to football season. He and the team are eager to continue district play and hope to improve even more as the season progresses.
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“I think they’re in more basketball shape now, which is a good thing,” he said.
Westfield hosts on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Bulldog girls drop one to Chargers
The Westfield girls’ varsity basketball team began its district competition Friday night against the but fell short, 34-45.
Swim and dive team wins and loses
Westfield’s boys and girls took to the pool against rival Robinson Rams. Coach Bruce Andersen’s girls dominated the lanes to claim victory with a score of 180-132. Unfortunately Andersen’s boys would not fare as well, losing 154-161.
“We had some improvements but there were not any real big swims this time,” Andersen said. “The girls were real strong across the board and I was really happy with their races.”
Thus far, the girls have qualified for regional competition in three relays and Carli Molano also made cuts for states. On the boys’ side Brandon Fiala, Richard Xue and Matt Glowaki have all qualified in multiple events for the regional meet. The Bulldog boys will also take every relay to postseason but Andersen said the official line-ups have not yet been inked in, with six swimmers still competing for just four spots.
Andersen said he is thrilled with the divers’ performances this year. Many of them have just learned how to compete, but the inexperience has not shown. He is also pleased with the effort from his swimmers but feels a bit surprised it has taken this long to fill the gaps left open from state swimmers who graduated last June.
“Overall we didn’t have any poor performances,” he said. “On the boys side we’ve had some bright spots but should have won the meet. We had a few guys who just could not finish and got passed by. That’s going to be a big focus for us this week.”
Westfield will swim and dive against at at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13.
