BLYTHEWOOD – The Westwood boys finally snapped a 3-game losing streak and earned their first Region 3-4A win Tuesday night, but they didn’t make it look easy.
York jumped out to an early lead before the Redhawks rallied and positioned themselves to close out a lopsided win. Then the Cougars sprung on a late rally before Westwood finished off a 54-46 victory at Westwood.
“Any time you get a region win, it’s good. Our region, from No.1 to No.6 is very competitive,” Westwood (12-4, 1-1) head coach John Combs said. “It’s not gonna be a shock if the No.6 team beats a couple of people they’re not supposed to beat.”
York (5-7, 0-2) got off to a 10-2 lead after the first five minutes of the game, but Westwood finished the last three minutes of the first quarter on a 10-5 run and was behind 15-12 to start the second quarter.
“We started off in a pressure man-to-man defense and it wasn’t very good, they chewed us up,” Combs said. “We switched back to a little bit more of a zone, and that gave them more problems and we settled down. Our guys just chipped away at it.”
With the game tied at 18 with four minutes to play in the first half, the Redhawks’ 13-4 scoring run gave them a 31-22 halftime lead. K.J. Richardson scored the team’s last seven points of the quarter.
Westwood stretched the lead to 44-29 by the end of the third quarter, and opened up the fourth looking to maintain possession for as long as possible and run out the clock.
That would not be the case. Redhawks leading York 50-37 with three minutes to go, the Cougars cashed in on their full-court press to the tune of a 13-2 scoring run until the 26-second mark.
By then, with a 52-46 lead, Westwood need only go to the foul line and secure the win, which it did.
“I’ll give our guys credit,” Combs said about his team coming off the floor with a win. “But we’ve got to do a better job at not getting off to a slow start.”
The victory comes after a disappointing 55-50 loss at Richland Northeast in the region opener Friday night, in which the Cavaliers jumped out to a 17-2 lead before Westwood finally came to life.
Richardson led the Redhawks with 12 points. Mike Peay added 10. Ty Turner had 10 rebounds to go with his seven points.
In the girls’ game, Ja’Mari Frederick scored 17 points, Malayziah Etheredge scored 15, Nyah Leveretter added 12 and Trashawna McCant put up 10 as the Redhawks eased to a 70-11 victory.
Westwood (14-3, 2-0) also scored 70 points in its victory over Richland Northeast Friday. Leveretter topped all scorers with 30 points, with Jessica Woods adding 11 points and Frederick putting up 10.
Westwood boys and girls play at Lancaster Friday.
“Playing at Lancaster is going to be the toughest road games in the region,” Combs said. “It’s a tough place to play, and it’s gonna be a tough one for sure.”
Girls
Friday: Westwood 70, Richland Northeast 24
WHS – 19-12-15-24 – 70
RNE – 8-6-4-6 – 24
WHS: Nyah Leveretter 30, Jessica Woods 11, Ja’Mari Frederick 10, McCant 6, Wade 5, Scott 4, Mines 2, Thompson 2.
RNE: Wiggins 8, Daniels 6, Aimes 2, Macon 2, McFadden 2, Robinson 2, Wilcher 2.
Tuesday: Westwood 71, York 11
YHS – 3-1-5-2 – 11
WHS – 19-17-21-14 – 71
YHS: Pendergrass 3, Baker 3, Walls 3, Steele 1, Crowley.
WHS: Ja’Mari Frederick 17, Malayziah Etheredge 15, Nyah Leveretter 12, TraShauna McCant 11, Woods 9, Wade 5, Thompson 2, Barnes 1.
Boys
FRIDAY: Richland Northeast 56, Westwood 50 WHS – 10-11-16-13 – 50
RNE – 19-5-16-16 – 56
WHS: Mequaje McDaniels 15, Ty Turner 10, Bre’on Lewis 10, Peay 5, Richarson 4, McBride 4, Green 2.
RNE: Marcus Anderson 17, Amere Cherry 13, Durand Brown 12, Pratt 9, Johnson 2, Rich 2, Hall 1.
Tuesday: Westwood 54, York 48
YHS – 15-7-7-19 – 48
WHS – 12-19-13-10 – 54
YHS: Zy Brown 16, Jamal Brooks 15, Jevon Long 11, Ellis 2, Good 2, Doctor 2.
WHS: K.J. Richardson 12, Mike Peay 10, McCray 8, McBride 7, Turner 7, Jefferson 5, Lewis 3, Washington 2.