By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – Even when Westfield’s shots weren’t falling during its Saturday afternoon game, Shamrocks coach Ginny Smith believed that they would – at some point.
That point began at the end of the third quarter and continued well into the fourth quarter. Westfield broke out of a tight game with Hamilton Heights with a 15-0 run that bridged the third and fourth periods, and soon the Class 4A No. 6 Shamrocks were heading home to a 41-30 victory over the 3A No. 7 Huskies at CSI Gymnasium.
Neither team led by more than three points for the entire first half, and for all but the last few seconds of the third quarter, when a 3-pointer by Alyssa Crockett gave Westfield a 25-21 lead going into the fourth. Then, the floodgates opened.
“It’s kind of become a thing for us lately, we’re just not shooting the basketball well in the first half,” said Smith. “Tonight was no different, we just didn’t shoot it well in the first half. We were getting great shots. I believed at some point those shots were going to fall, I just wasn’t sure what it was going to look like or when. Fortunately for us, it came in a batch.”
Crockett opened the fourth period with another triple, then Olivia Robey nailed a 3. Just like that, the ‘Rocks were ahead 31-21. Westfield scored two more baskets after that, jumpers by Crockett and Hailey Remaks, to open up a 14-point lead.
“First of all, one 3’s big in a game that’s as tight as that, then you get two and you’re able to get stops on the other end,” said Smith. “And we needed a little bit of a cushion, and that cushion gave us the ability to play a little bit freer, too.”
The offensive explosion in the fourth quarter was in direct contrast to the first three periods, which were about as defensive as they could get. Heights led 7-6 after the first quarter; Mia Shields scored four points and Camryn Runner hit a free throw with 2.2 seconds left to give the Huskies the lead.
Both teams scored five points in the second quarter, so Heights led 12-11 at halftime. Kaylee Rhoton drained 3 for the Huskies.
Robey opened the second half with a jumper, which was answered by two free throws by Runner and a MyKayla Moran layin, putting Heights ahead 16-13 for its largest lead of the game. Westfield regained the lead after Robey hit a 3 and Chesney Tebbe made a layin.
The back-and-forth continued with Rhoton nailing a triple, then the Shamrocks’ Ellie Kelleher hit two foul shots. Runner made two of her own free throws to give the Huskies a 21-20 lead, which Kelleher answered with a jumper. Westfield now led 22-21 and would not trail again, as the next basket was Crockett’s big 3.
Crockett finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds. She also had three blocked shots; Smith credited her with protecting the rim well.
“That allows our guards to be aggressive,” said Smith.
Robey added nine points, while Tebbe scored eight and collected six rebounds.
Runner led Heights with 11 points, with Ella Hickok pulling five rebounds and handing out four assists.
“I thought overall there in the first half, we were able to control pace a little bit, limit possessions and had a lead there at halftime,” said Huskies coach Keegan Cherry. “And then in the second half, our baskets were coming at a premium and then they went on a little spurt there. Crockett took over a little bit with a couple of 3s. But credit to our girls. We fought for 32 minutes.”
The Shamrocks are 15-3 and host Hamilton Southeastern Friday in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference girls-boys doubleheader. Heights is 13-4 and hosts Western Tuesday in a Hoosier Conference East Division game.
WESTFIELD 41, HAMILTON HEIGHTS 30
Heights FG FT TP PF
Ella Hickok 0-2 0-0 0 3
Mia Shields 2-6 2-2 7 2
Camryn Runner 2-4 7-8 11 1
Hadleigh Cherry 0-1 0-0 0 0
MyKayla Moran 3-8 0-0 6 4
Kaylee Rhoton 2-7 0-0 6 2
Totals 9-28 9-10 30 12
Heights 3-point shooting (3-13) Rhoton 2-7, Shields 1-5, Hickok 0-1.
Heights rebounds (17) Hickok 5, Shields 4, Runner 3, Moran 3, Rhoton 1, Cherry 1.
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Ellie Kelleher 1-4 2-2 4 1
Alyssa Crockett 4-9 1-2 11 3
Chesney Tebbe 2-6 4-4 8 1
Olivia Robey 3-9 1-2 9 2
Hailey Remaks 2-4 0-0 4 3
Emmrey Collinsworth 1-3 1-2 3 2
Mikayla Rudolph 1-2 0-0 2 0
Kiki Loveless 0-2 0-0 0 1
Aubrey Crockett 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 14-39 9-12 41 13
Westfield 3-point shooting (4-17) Robey 2-5, Al. Crockett 2-4, Kelleher 0-2, Collinsworth 0-2, Tebbe 0-2, Rudolph 0-1, Remaks 0-1.
Westfield rebounds (29) Al. Crockett 8, Tebbe 6, Remaks 4, Kelleher 1, Collinsworth 1, Rudolph 1, Robey 1, Loveless 1, team 6.
Score by Quarters
Heights 7 5 9 9 – 30
Westfield 6 5 14 16 – 41