MYRTLE BEACH – Westwood girls opened the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach against 7A powerhouse Miami Senior High School out of Florida on Dec. 19.
Westwood had their only lead in the opening quarter. Miami took the lead and held the Redhawks to only four points in the first quarter for a 15-4 lead. Westwood recovered in the second to outscore Miami 9-7 and 109- in the third, but Miami stretched the lead in the fourth for a 45-25 final.
Korletta Daniels led the Redhawks with six points. Woods was held to only four points. She had four steals and two assists on the night. Destiny Omeire had a team-high eight rebounds. Makiah Thompson, Raven Johnson and Miracle Branch all had two steals and an assist.
Westwood returned to action on Dec. 20 against Peachtree Ridge from Georgia.
The Redhawks again found themselves on the wrong end of the lead after a quarter of play. The closed the gap in the second quarter, but the Lions led 23-19 at halftime.
Westwood came on strong in the second half, outscoring the Lions 32-17 for a 51-40 win.
Woods led scorers with 21. Daniels added 15. Woods and Omeire had six rebounds each. Woods added four steals and an assist. Thompson, Omeire and Daniels had two assists each. Johnson and Daniels had a block each. Daniels had two steals; Johnson, Omiere and Thanna Davis each tallied a steal.
Westwood advanced to the title game in the consolation bracket against Cumberland Valley on Dec. 21. This time, the Redhawks led through 29 minutes of the game.
Up 16-10 after a quarter, Cumberland Valley closed the lead to 27-23 at halftime.
Westwood stretched the lead to seven in the third and widened the gap in the fourth for a 52-41 final.
Woods put up 17 points, 2 assists and a steal for the Redhawks. Johnson and Daniels had 11 each. Johnson tallied 13 rebounds, a steal and a block. Omeire had a team-high three steals and eight rebounds. Daniels had 7 rebounds and a block.
The tournament puts Westwood girls at 11-3 on the season.
Westwood boys went 1-2 in holiday tournament action. They faced Lancaster to open the Cayce Roundball Classic on Dec. 21.
Westwood led 23-20 at halftime. Tied at 33 after the third quarter, the Lancaster outscored Westwood in the fourth for a 52-46 final.
USC-commit Arden Conyers had 21 points in the loss.
The Redhawks turned things around on Thursday against Spartanburg with a 54-37 win.
Conyers had a team-high 25 points. He also had five rebounds, two steals and two assists. DeKonte Mack and TJ Bell had six rebounds. Bell and KJ rowan had three assists each. TK Roberts had two.
Westwood faced TL Hanna in their final game of the Roundball Classic. The Yellow Jackets bested Westwood 87-57.
Conyers put up 23 points in the effort. Bell added 13.
Conyers was named to the All-Tournament team.
Westwood will return to regular-season action on Jan. 3 at Blythewood. The girls open play at 6 p.m.; the boys will follow.
