By Owen Ziegler
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On Tuesday, December 23rd, the Westwood Boys basketball team matched up against the Dover-Sherborn Raiders. In a hard fought game, the Wolverines would eventually win the game, finishing 49-42.
From tip off, junior Aidan Rodman expertly commanded the floor at point guard. His sophomore season was spent learning from seasoned, and now graduated, point guard Eli Ifrah who clearly taught him the importance of an always composed player on the court. Rodman started the game off with a tough and-one, but more importantly contributed constant defensive pressure and elite floor spacing, drawing away defense from threats like Ty Pindel and Rob Liriano, allowing them to isolate defenders and score easy buckets. This season, both Pindel and Liriano have comfortably stepped into their roles as captains, as Pindel went for 7 points and Liriano had his own 25. Their leadership, partnered with other captains Leo Chilangwa and Adrian Ortiz, Westwood begins the season 3-0. Westwood’s first quarter was led by Liriano, but the Wolverines only put up 10 points in the first quarter, despite the open shots being there, they just couldn't bury them.
Going into the 2nd quarter, the score was 10-5, Westwood leading in what was so far a defensive masterclass. During the 2nd quarter, bench assets Dylon Zeneski and Teddy McGowan both put up quality minutes, allowing for even more offensive threat and disruptive defense. With just seconds remaining in the half, senior captain Leo Chilangwa threw down a monstrous two handed dunk, the first Wolverine to do so in the last 4 years. Very few could expect such an extreme breakout season for Chilangwa, as he received minimal minutes last year, still his contributions this year can only be described as a necessity. Leo’s presence in the paint on both offense and defense is extremely valuable for Westwood. His length on defense forces deep and contested shots, while on offense he draws defenders in with his rebounding gravity allowing for both easy putbacks and open threes. His injury in the early fourth quarter was definitely noticed, as he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Going into the 2nd half, Westwood had the lead 25-20.
In the 2nd half, the well oiled machine of the Wolverines starting five was heating up. They went on a 8-3 run, eventually taking a 10 point lead, led by Liriano’s well developed midrange and layup game. At the end of the quarter, the score was 38-30, by no means comfortable, but some room for Westwood to breathe.
The 4th quarter was a repeat of the last three, as Rob Liriano-Alejandro made it look easy, while the Wolverines deep bench depth provided excellent defense. With just 3 minutes left, the score was 43-37 in Westwood’s favor, and they kept it that way. The Wolverines strong defense allowed them to come home with the win 49-42, pushing their season record to 3-0. Their season will continue on January 3rd against Bridgewater Raynham at home.
