By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Basketball is a fast-paced game, counting down the seconds on the shot clock, teams have only 35 seconds to strategize and execute their shots to the hoop. Alongside strategy comes agility and the determination to stay in the game every second of every quarter. The Westwood girls' basketball team gave their all on Tuesday, January 30th for their second-season matchup against the Medfield Warriors. Despite their best effort on the court, the Wolverines' chance to lead the scoreboard was hindered, as they would close the night 25-69.
In one high jump, Westwood junior Angelina Homsy tipped off against Medfield’s Izzy Kittredge to commence the first half of the evening’s competition. Suddenly, both sides of the court were ignited, quickly setting the scene. Medfield took possession, however, Westwood’s junior Madison Ward, senior Anna Raftery, and others were quick to defend the Warrior’s offensive pressure. Throughout the first half, Medfield relentlessly tried to take control of the ball, but the Wolverines weren’t going to make it easy for them.
Westwood was hungry for more points on the board too. The girls would give all they had to block and deny the Warriors’ talent on the net and quickly snagged the ball from their grasp any chance they could. By the end of the first half, Westwood was trailing 11-40.
A ten-minute debrief split the halves and the players and coaches discussed their plans on how to continue to challenge the opposing teams. After a quick warm-up, the second half began, and the action picked up right where it left off. Westwood looked to make strong passes to one another quick and snappy in hopes of keeping possession as they traveled down the court. It was a back-and-forth battle as each team continued to sub out players for refreshed legs on the court. It was evident how the Wolverines played their heart out as a team never giving up on one another and communicating well throughout the game, making holes in the Warriors’ defense to take shots on the net, but they could come out just short. As the game came to a close, the Westwood team would be bested by the Warriors 25-69.
It wasn’t the outcome the team was hoping for heading into the evening’s competition, but after every loss, there is always a silver lining, something to have as a takeaway, and there is always something to shed light on that went well throughout the evening's match.
Head coach Katherine Clifford shared how the team was best preparing for the evening’s match, her thoughts on the game, and who she thought stood out on the court:“We were talking about taking care of the ball against their press, which happened a little bit early on in the game. I feel like we lost a bit of control over it in the second quarter. Medfield is a really good team, credit to them for their pressure. We talked about moving the ball against the zone which I thought was pretty good at times. The biggest takeaway from tonight is I think we just need to play with confidence against good teams, that will help us when we play other big teams that are coming up in our schedule. Caroline Nozzolillo our junior captain, had a really good hustle tonight, she had a no-quit attitude, she was playing through some frustration pretty well, and she does a lot for us every night,” said Clifford.
The girls will travel to Norwood High Friday, February 9th to continue their season. Tip off is set for 5 PM.
