With the CBA tournament title secure,the Westhill boys basketball team made another big statement last Tuesday night when it went to Chittenango and gave the 8-0, state Class B no. 14-ranked Bears its first blemish, rolling to a 63-43 victory.
If it were a five-on-five game, it was close to even. Chittenango’s Zach Falkenburg had a tremendous night, producing 27 points, seven rebounds and four steals, but other than him and Matt Lamphear (11 points), Chittenango managed just two total field goals, both by Hunter Hendrix, who did finish with 13 rebounds.
Chittenango faced several challenges against Westhill. First, there was dealing with the Warriors’ defense, who turned every possession into an ordeal. Even when the Bears did have open looks, those shots would not fall, either on the perimeter or in the paint, and Westhill would lead from the middle of the first quarter onward.
Another issue was the production of Sean Dadey and Kameren Jackson. Dadey sparked a 10-0 first-quarter run with a 3-pointer, followed by a steal and lay-up. Of his 14 points, 10 of them came in the first half, when the Warriors built a 39-26 lead. Dadey also had six assists, five rebounds and three steals.
Jackson was comparatively quiet until the third quarter, when he thwarted Chittenango’s attempts to catch up, notching 10 points on everything from inside baskets to 3-pointers, ultimately finishing the night with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, plus five assists.
Even with that, though, the one thing Chittenango could not overcome was Westhill’s potent group of reserves. Zechariah Brown set a season mark with nine points, all of them earned in the first half, as he, along with Owen Matukas and John Geer, combined for 17 bench points, while the Bears’ bench was shut out.
Compared to all this, Friday’s 66-33 win over Solvay was relatively stress-free, Westhill gaining a 34-11 edge on the Bearcats by halftime as Braeden Elmer stepped up to lead the Warriors with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Jackson and Holden Carroll had 10 points apiece, Jackson adding eight rebounds and four assists, and Carroll getting five rebounds as Geer and Chris Holt got seven points apiece and Antonio Scrimale had six points, six assists and three steals. For Solvay, Shawn Edwards led with 10 points as Alex Britton got six points.
