By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – In just two games, the Westfield boys basketball team has established an identity that revolves around balance and defense.
The Shamrocks played their first home game of the season Saturday at The Rock and won big, cruising past Kokomo 65-30. The victory came just 24 hours after Westfield beat Zionsville in its season-opener, giving the ‘Rocks a 2-0 start for the second year in a row.
“Our guys have played really hard the last couple nights here on a tough opening weekend,” said Westfield coach Shane Sumpter. “We’re finally glad to be playing basketball, and certainly feel fortunate for every game that we get to play. I thought our guys played hard. They did a good job on the defensive end, or really both ends both nights.”
The Wildkats only led once, when Shayne Spear opened the game with a 3-pointer. After that it was all Shamrocks. Cam Haffner tied the game with his own triple, then Braden Smith drained a 3 to give Westfield the lead. Those baskets started an 11-0 run for the ‘Rocks, which also included a free throw from Nic Depasquale and layins from Matthew Penley and Smith.
Haffner scored five more points near the end of the quarter, and that gave Westfield a 16-6 lead. The Shamrocks went on a 6-0 run early in the second period, with four of those points coming from Alex Romack. The 6-foot-5 sophomore scored on a layin and a putback. Nic Depasquale added two free throws.
Smith added to the lead with a jump shot, then Benji Welch and Haffner both made 3s to finish out the second quarter. Westfield led 30-18 at the break, and six players had scored points.
“A lot of guys scored for us tonight, which we’re going to need,” said Sumpter. “I think we’re a much more balanced team than maybe people give us credit for. Everybody knows about Cam and Braden, but I think that we’re going to be a balanced team and I think you’re going to see that quite a bit from us.”
The balance continued in the third quarter, as Luke Naas came in and hit a pair of 3-pointers for the ‘Rocks. Westfield then ran away with the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildkats 20-8. Kai Butterworth nailed three 3-pointers in that period.
In total, eight Westfield players put points on the board. Haffner led with 16 points, followed by Smith with 12 and Butterworth with nine. Depasquale and Romack each pulled six rebounds and Smith dished out six assists.
The Shamrocks’ next game is next Saturday when they host Fort Wayne Wayne, a team they haven’t played before.
“They got a lot of tradition up there in the Fort Wayne area, and they’re a good basketball team,” said Sumpter. “We’ll have to be ready to play next Saturday night.”
WESTFIELD 65, KOKOMO 30
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Braden Smith 5 0-0 12 3
Cam Haffner 6 0-0 16 0
Benji Welch 2 0-0 5 1
Nic Depasquale 1 3-4 5 2
Matthew Penley 3 0-0 6 2
Luke Van Dyke 0 0-0 0 2
Kai Butterworth 3 0-0 9 0
Alex Romack 3 0-1 6 2
Luke Naas 2 0-0 6 2
Trey Dorton 0 0-0 0 0
Jonah Spinner 0 0-0 0 0
Sam Bishop 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 25 3-5 65 14
Score by Quarters
Kokomo 6 12 4 8 – 30
Westfield 16 14 15 20 – 65
Westfield 3-pointers (12) Haffner 4, Butterworth 3, Smith 2, Naas 2, Welch 1.