Westfield High Weekly Sports Recap

Bulldog girls’ basketball team rolling big

The  girls’ varsity basketball team edged out , 45-40 last Tuesday night and then traveled to Florida this past weekend for the KSA Tournament. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in the tourney, scoring wins over A.N. Meyer (41-24) and Parkland (32-27) with a slim loss to Avon Grove, 33-30. With a 6-2 record on the year, Westfield looks poised to continue its solid play headed into district competition in the New Year.

Guard Lauren Hayden is closing in on 100 points on the season and leads the team averaging just over 10 points per-game. Jules Abruzzo and Maggie McInturff tail Hayden closely with point averages of 8.9 and 8.1 respectively. McInturff also leads the Bulldogs with six three-pointers on the season.

Westfield hosts Bishop Ireton on Dec. 27 at 5:45 p.m.

Boys’ basketball team improves to 6-2

The Bulldogs boys’ basketball team also returned Sunday evening from the KSA Tournament in Florida after picking up two big wins against Denis Morris Catholic (53-24) and Tottenville (69-44). Westfield has won four out of its last five contests including a 65-58 victory over Annandale on Dec. 13 and now boasts a 6-2 record.

Zach Elcano leads the Bulldogs with an average of 13 points per-game. The 6-foot-11 senior center also shot15 of 19 from the stripe and scored 16, 14 and 9-points respectively in the three tournament games. Senior guard Julius Rosa stepped up his game against Tottenville, scoring 16 points including three buckets from behind the arc.

Westfield hosts at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 20.

Bulldog swim and dive team quick off the blocks

The boys and girls swim and dive team picked up two huge wins against and this past weekend to improve to 3-1, on the young 2011-12 season. Coach Bruce Andersen said his team struggled early with illness and the loss of several club swimmers due to a prior commitment in the Tom Dolan Invitational two weeks ago.

“The ones that got in the water and on the diving board did a great job,” said Andersen. “Some kids who normally wouldn’t have gotten to compete got a chance to swim and post some official times.”

However, the team is now at full strength and showing dominance in the water. Several boys and girls, along with one relay have qualified for regional times. In fact, one boy and a relay made the state cut in just two weeks of competition.

“Overall the team has improved and most of the girls are swimming a little faster than they did in the dual meets last year,” Andersen said. “A couple sophomores are swimming considerably faster.”

The defending state champion boys are no strangers to postseason after going undefeated in dual meets and winning the district as well. Andersen said his girls also look powerful and hope to get back to the top of the Concorde in 2012 after placing third last season. Westfield's girls team last won the district in 2004.

“For the last three or four years it’s been a pretty tight-knit group,” the coach said. “This year the teams are feeling they have equal shots and are pretty together."

Westfield competes against at Cub Run on Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Gymnastics team looks solid

Coach Holly Richbourg’s entire Bulldog team is made up of freshmen and sophomores but youth does not equate with inexperience in this case. Westfield began the season with a second-place finish in week one and a first-place finish and third-place honors behind and this past weekend.

Sophomores Delaney Elliott and Katie Freix went to states last season and seem on track for an encore performance in 2011-12. Freix scored a 9.65 on beam in the second meet while Elliott flipped her way to a solid 9.7 on bars.

“The goal of the kids is to get over a 9.0,” said Richbourg. “This last meet against Robinson Katie got a nine in every event.”

Hannah Marker showed up big with a 3rd-place on floor and 6th-place finish in all-around earlier this year. Richbourg, who also coaches gymnastics, feels confident in her squad and said she is proud of how well her young team has competed through the first few weeks.

“Right now we have an opportunity to build with such a young team,” she said. “We’re definitely strong on vault and floor is one of our stronger events too. Bars is always more difficult for us.”

Westfield competes next at in a six-way meet on Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Correction: The Westfield girls' basketball team record was incorrect in a previous version of this article. The team's record is now 6-2.