By: Owen Ziegler
On January 30th, the Westwood Wolverines boys’ basketball team matched up with the Holliston Panthers in an extremely important TVL game, fought between the two frontrunners for the Tri-Valley League large championship. The Wolverines came into the game with a record of 10–3 and the Panthers with a record of 10–4. Ultimately, the Wolverines would come out on top, 53–44 in a close, but dominant fashion.
The first quarter started off great, a showcase for both teams’ extreme defensive skill. With 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter, senior captain Rob Liriano-Alejandro took over. He finished the quarter with 8 of Westwood’s 11 points and ended the game with 25 points, adding to his already career high average. This season, Liriano has upped his game to a whole other level, as stepping into the role as primary scorer has seemed easy for him. His contributions to the team have constantly been the deciding factor in Westwood’s 10–3 record. The first quarter wrapped up 11–15, Holliston in the lead because of their near perfect shooting.
At the start of the second quarter, senior captain Leo Chilnagwa set the tone early, swatting away a shot for a huge block, right in front of the student section. With 4 minutes remaining, Westwood took the lead 18–15, thanks to their excellent defense. Just before half Holliston was able to close the gap and end the half 23–21, only behind by 2. Through the first two quarters the game had been nothing but excellent and almost perfectly even, but not for long.
In the third quarter, Westwood turned up the heat going on a 9–4 run in 3 minutes, completely denying Holliston’s scoring opportunities while Liriano scored 12, and fellow captain Ty Pindel had 3 of his 10 total points. At the end of the quarter the score was 40–34, Westwood still with a comfortable lead, but Holliston closing in. Captain Adrian Ortiz stood out in the third, as he repeatedly showed his value for the team with stuff that doesn't appear on the stat sheet, despite still scoring 9 points, his defense was the highlight.
In the final quarter, the Wolverines stood their ground. Senior Brady Lipton provided reliable rim protection, while Ty Pindel and Adrian Ortiz had room to create offensively. Westwood held the Panthers at their hips, finishing the game 53–44, and moving to a record of 11–3, and first in the TVL large.
