Westfield’s Jules Sharon, right, looks to dish off the ball against Northampton. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – The final result may not show it, but the Westfield High School girls’ basketball team is on the upswing.
Westfield rallied from a 16-point deficit to within two points of a tie late in Thursday’s game against visiting Northampton before falling 54-43.
Northampton opened the game on a 16-0 run, thanks to a suffocating press and some costly Westfield turnovers. The Bombers managed to close the gap to 17-9 by the end of the first quarter.
Westfield trimmed its deficit to seven at the half, 27-20, before Northampton tacked on two more points in the opening minutes of the second half. Keri Paton hit an and-one and Beka Santiago scored on a breakaway to pull the Bombers within four, 29-25.
Northampton’s Maya Kerstetter and Westfield’s Alicia Arnold traded three point baskets before Santiago hit a jump shot to narrow the gap even more, 32-30, with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Blue Devils, sparked by seven points from Kerstetter, closed out the quarter on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 44-12 lead. The Bombers never recovered.
“You just can’t do that against a good team,” Westfield coach Ralph Loos said about falling behind early by double-digits. “They are, by far, a favorite (to win the Division 1 title) in Western Mass. We proved we can play with anyone. We have moments that trip us up – but that’s just because our girls just don’t believe they can do it yet.”
“We won 97 percent of that game,” he added.
Santiago (12 points), Paton (10 points), and Lexi Minicucci (9) led the Westfield offensive attack. Kerstetter (21) and Anna Walther (11) combined for 32 Northampton points.
Easthampton 38, Southwick-Tolland 34 (OT)
EASTHAMPTON – Morgan Harriman scored a team-high 13 points for Southwick-Tolland Regional. Rams’ Ashley Shea had nine.
JV RESULTS
Easthampton 38, Southwick-Tolland 30
EASTHAMPTON – Sam Perruse (8 points), Amber Nobbs (7), and Stephanie Devine (7) provided the bulk of the Southwick offense.
