Westwood’s Xavier Dobey goes to the basket in Saturday’s Bojangles Bash. (Photo/Kristy Kimball Massey)
COLUMBIA – An order of Bojangles was exactly what Westwood needed Saturday afternoon.
A day after a disappointing 39-37 loss at home to Fort Mill, the Redhawks used their only game in the Bojangles Bash at Ridge View High to dismantle Dreher’s 2-3 zone and cruise to a 58-32 victory.
“All I know is we played a home game last night and we looked terrible,” Westwood head coach Terry Dozier said about the Fort Mill loss. “The 2-3 zone has always been our Achilles heel, and that’s all they (Dreher) played us today.”
Instead of getting stymied, however, the Redhawks (5-3) played inspired and stayed patient with their shooting.
Westwood was 9-for-12 from behind the 3-point line, which boosted an otherwise average shooting day of 51.3 percent from the floor.
Jason Frederick, who led all scorers on the afternoon with 19 points, made good on five of six 3-point attempts. The team sank four other 3s, two from Dante Brown, and one each from Xavier Davis and Xavier Dobey.
“We got our shooter hot, and the team started playing with more confidence against the zone,” Dozier said. “To win by almost 30 points against a 2-3 zone is a step in the right direction.”
Dreher’s zone proved no match for the quicker Redhawks, who had no trouble getting rebounds under the basket and shot well enough from the field to not require inside drives.
Westwood closed out the first quarter with a 15-11 lead and stretched it to 31-21 at the half.
The Blue Devils’ production dropped in the second half, enabling the Redhawks to control the tempo. Dreher (5-5), which shot 12-for-34 on the night for a 34.3 percentage, got just two free throws to account for their third quarter points.
Meanwhile, Westwood got three 3-pointers from Frederick, and a 3 from Brown to build a 43-23 lead, dominating the boards as they did all game.
“We’re not going to be dominant over anybody in a game because of size. We have to play tougher and faster than most teams and try to get them in the fourth quarter,” Dozier said. “In this case, we didn’t need the fourth quarter.”
The Redhawks kept up the production in spite of substitutions with a 15-point showing in the fourth quarter to close out the win.
Even though it was the team’s only game in the Bojangles Bash, the basketball showcase will leave a pleasant aftertaste for the Redhawks, whom Dozier said may have learned how to overcome a little adversity.
“Against a zone, you’ve got to be patient. It’s about being patient,” Dozier said. “A zone is good to get you to taking quick shots and then (when they miss) they’re off and running. Today was the best day for us to come around.”
Westwood 58, Dreher 32
W – Jason Frederick 19, Davis 9, Brown 8,Barnes 6, Dobey 5, Corley 4, Jones 2, Adams 2, Shaw 1. D – Simon Grant 12, Walker 8, Brown 4, Clarke 3, Myers 3, Parr 2. REC: Westwood 5-3, Dreher 5-5.