Westfield’s D.J. Florek (4) holds the ball high atop his head as a defender approaches. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – What a difference 24 hours makes.
After being blown down by the Amherst Hurricanes at the buzzer on Monday, the Westfield High School boys’ basketball team rallied from the depths of despair to shock East Longmeadow, 53-48, in overtime Tuesday night.
Westfield (9-10) posted a 21-point comeback to keep its Division I postseason hopes alive.
“As bad a loss we had in 10 years (to Amherst), that was probably the best win we’ve ever had,” Westfield coach Bill Daley said after Tuesday night’s victory.
East Longmeadow threw a party in the first half.
Sam Blake helped fuel a 14-0 run, hitting a 3 for the game’s first points. Westfield briefly interrupted the streak when Richard Bennett fed Drew Kerr for a nice basket with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Then Blake hit his 1,000th career point on a free throw with 1:38 left in the first half to give his team a commanding 29-11 lead. Officials briefly halted the game to acknowledge the feat, much to the satisfaction of the raucous home crowd.
The Spartans led 32-11 at the half.
“That was about as ugly, as embarrassing as we’ve played in a long time,” coach Daley said of the first half performance. “At halftime, we didn’t talk ‘X’s and ‘O’s. We talked about finishing the game off in a great way.”
By the end of the third quarter, Westfield had trimmed East Longmeadow’s lead to 12, 44-31. The Bombers outscored the Spartans 15-2 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Westfield’s 7-2 run spurned a win.
Devin Wells finished with 24 points for the Bombers, 19 of which came in the second half. Connor Sas made four second-half 3s. D.J. Florek finished off the victory with a game-clinching dunk.
“That was an amazing win,” Daley said. “It makes Thursday worthwhile. We got a chance. We’re a tournament team, a tournament program.”
Westfield will host Sci-Tech in its final regular season game on senior night Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m.
Southwick-Tolland 45, Palmer 43
Mark O’Neill (14 points), Dylan Grunwald (12), and Brendan Shea (11) each reached double-digits for Southwick-Tolland, which finished the regular season 8-12.
O’Neill made a key 3-point shot with 40 seconds left to secure the victory.
The Rams rallied from five points down in the first quarter, and a 16-14 halftime deficit.
Smith Voke 64, Westfield Voc-Tech 57
Nick Wood led Voc-Tech with 11 points, followed by Matt Wood (8 points), and Nelson Roque, Cole Provost, and Luis Santos each with seven.
GIRLS’ HOOPS
Pathfinder 42, Westfield Voc-Tech 29
Megan Illnicky (11 points) and Brandi VanGelder (9) led Westfield Voc-Tech, which finished the regular season 5-13.
“It was a bit of a disappointment, but we only graduate two seniors – Brandi VanGelder and Nadine Tran. We look hopeful for the future. We will see what next year brings.”
JV GIRLS’ HOOPS
Southwick-Tolland 55, Palmer 28
Nick Peterson (27 points) nearly scored outscored the opposition himself, and teammate Joey Frasco added nine. Frasco made three 3-pointers.
