By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – The Westfield girls basketball team is feeling like itself again.
The Shamrocks went back to their roots Tuesday when they hosted Tri-West at CSI Gymnasium. Westfield put on a tremendous display of defense and balance in overwhelming Tri-West 72-20.
The Shamrocks are ranked No. 15 in the latest Indiana Basketball Coaches Association poll, while the Bruins are getting votes. But Westfield never came close to letting Tri-West into the game.
During the early days of the season, Shamrocks coach Ginny Smith said the team “really focused on our offense and did not spend as much time on our defense, which is out of character for us.” So, over the past few days, Westfield has been trying to get back to who it is.
“Starting at the end of last week, into the weekend and yesterday, we really just spent a lot of time just focusing on who we are and what our identity is,” said Smith. “And our identity has always been, we’ve always bought into the defensive philosophy of just locking people down in the half court. And I felt like the kids did a nice job of that.”
The ‘Rocks scored the first seven points of the game and finished the opening quarter ahead 17-1. Six different players scored during the period, setting a tone of balance that would carry through the next three quarters.
Westfield led 22-2 before the Bruins finally got their first basket of the game at the 5:03 mark of the second period – Tri-West’s only points had come from free throws. The Shamrocks didn’t let up, taking a 33-6 halftime lead.
Alyssa Crockett and Ellie Kelleher each had 10 points during the half. Olivia Robey hit a pair of 3-pointers, while Emmrey Collinsworth made one triple. Smith was pleased to see so many scoring options for the ‘Rocks.
“I think it makes it obviously a little bit harder to guard in a half court,” said Smith. “It was good to see. It was nice to see that it was evenly dispersed.”
Westfield continued to roll in the second half, outscoring Tri-West 39-14. The Bruins were allowed only seven baskets in the entire game.
Crockett finished the game with 17 points and earned double-double status with 13 rebounds. Crockett was playing her first full game as a member of the 1,000-point club, having reached that milestone during Westfield’s win Saturday at Pendleton Heights.
“There was definitely a sensation, but also a kind of urgency to the game because it was such a close game at Pendleton,” said Crockett. “It was definitely awesome and it felt really good.”
The ‘Rocks were outstanding in their long-range shooting, making 10 of 17 3-point attempts. Crockett, Robey and Collinsworth all had two for the game.
Crockett said after the game that “there’s a few things we can clean up, but overall, the team collectively has really pulled it together.”
Robey totaled 11 points while Kelleher scored 10. Hailey Remaks collected five rebounds, Chesney Tebbe handed out four assists, Crockett made five steals and blocked two shots, while Kelleher also made two blocks.
Westfield is 2-1 and plays Saturday at Lawrence Central.
WESTFIELD 71, TRI-WEST 20
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Ellie Kelleher 3-5 3-4 10 0
Alyssa Crockett 7-9 1-2 17 1
Chesney Tebbe 3-8 0-1 6 1
Olivia Robey 4-6 1-2 11 1
Hailey Remaks 2-7 0-2 5 1
Aubrey Crockett 1-2 0-0 2 0
Emmrey Collinsworth 3-3 0-0 8 2
Kiki Loveless 0-2 2-4 2 1
Mikayla Rudolph 1-3 0-0 3 1
Lindsey Van Dyke 2-2 0-0 4 0
Maren Dee 0-1 0-0 0 0
Vivien Rector 1-1 0-0 3 0
Reagan Lorenzen 0-0 0-0 0 0
Totals 27-49 7-15 71 8
Score by Quarters
Tri-West 1 5 7 7 – 20
Westfield 17 16 19 19 – 71
Westfield 3-point shooting (10-17) Al. Crockett 2-3, Robey 2-3, Collinsworth 2-2, Remaks 1-3, Kelleher 1-2, Rudolph 1-1, Rector 1-1, Au. Crockett 0-1, Tebbe 0-1.
Westfield rebounds (41) Al. Crockett 13, Remaks 5, Robey 4, Au. Crockett 3, Kelleher 2, Rudolph 2, Loveless 2, Dee 2, Lorenzen 2, Collinsworth 1, Tebbe 1, Van Dyke 1, team 3.