By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Westfield got off to a strong start on Friday, and that helped carry the Shamrocks to victory in a county rivalry game at The Rock.
Westfield beat Hamilton Heights 66-54. Despite being down for most of the game, the Huskies hung with the ‘Rocks until the home team pulled away in the final two minutes. Westfield coach Shane Sumpter acknowledged that it was a game of runs.
“We would get up seven, eight, nine, and the next thing you know, it’s a three-point game,” said Sumpter. “We couldn’t really shake them and got a little bit of breathing room there at the end. I’m proud of my guys. We fought and we grinded and we were able to get a nice win against Hamilton Heights.”
The ‘Rocks got a big boost from Zach Banks. The junior scored 12 points in the first quarter, contributing to a 21-15 first-period lead for Westfield.
The Huskies came back to tie the game at 24-24, but the Shamrocks edged ahead 32-28 at halftime. Camron Knott got hot for Heights, scoring 10 points in the second quarter.
That pattern continued into the second half, with Westfield getting baskets and the Huskies answering. The Shamrocks were able to add to their lead by the end of the third at 42-36. Zach Banks scored five points for Westfield, with AJ Field adding five to the Heights total.
The Huskies were still within 53-49 midway through the fourth quarter, but the ‘Rocks were finally able to get the separation they wanted at that point. Banks poured in another 13 points in the fourth, giving him a game-high 30 points. Banks had four 3-pointers in the game.
“It was a game of big baskets,” said Sumpter. “When they cut it to three, we’d come down and we’d knock down a 3 and get some more separation, get to the rim. I thought we shot the ball fairly well.”
Josh Van Dyke added 17 points, while Caleb Welch scored 11. Both Shamrocks made three 3-pointers for the game. Van Dyke also pulled eight rebounds, while Chris Chin collected seven rebounds.
Knott finished with 15 points for the Huskies, while Field and Caleb Bean both scored 13. Knott and Field each drained three 3-pointers, with Bean grabbing 11 rebounds for a double-double. Field dished out four assists.
“The effort’s there,” said Heights coach Chad Ballenger. “The kids are working hard. It’s just that time of year. It’s a grind. We got kids tired. We got some that we tried to rest a little bit. We just got to scratch and claw.”
Westfield won the junior varsity game 66-51. Mason Brooks scored 22 points for the Shamrocks, with Eli Patchett scoring 10. For the Huskies, Brent Pennington had 16 points and Issiac Hickok scored 15.
The Shamrocks are now 7-10 and host Hamilton Southeastern at 7:30 p.m. tonight in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game. The Huskies are 9-9 and play at Frankfort on Tuesday.
Westfield 66,
Heights 54
Heights FG FT TP PF
Max Beale 0-2 0-0 0 2
Drayden Thomas 2-5 1-4 6 0
Gus Etchison 1-3 0-0 2 1
Tyler Wiltermood 2-4 1-1 5 1
Hudson Hochstedler 0-1 0-1 0 4
Michael Cross 0-0 0-2 0 3
Camron Knott 5-15 2-2 15 0
AJ Field 5-9 0-1 13 2
Caleb Bean 6-10 1-2 13 1
Totals 21-49 5-13 54 14
Heights 3-point shooting (7-19) Knott 3-11, Field 3-5, Thomas 1-2, Etchison 0-1.
Heights rebounds (25) Bean 11, Wiltermood 3, Knott 2, Field 2, Thomas 2, Hochstedler 2, Beale 1, Cross 1, Etchison 1.
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Zach Banks 12-16 2-2 30 0
Chris Chin 1-7 2-2 5 2
Josh Van Dyke 6-10 2-4 17 2
Caleb Welch 4-5 0-0 11 3
Camden Simons 0-0 2-2 2 3
Garrett Pollard 0-2 1-2 1 1
Jack Reinoehl 0-0 0-0 0 0
Sam Eaton 0-4 0-0 0 2
Benji Welch 0-1 0-0 0 1
Totals 23-45 9-12 66 14
Westfield 3-point shooting (11-27) Banks 4-7, Van Dyke 3-6, C. Welch 3-4, Chin 1-4, Eaton 0-4, Pollard 0-1, C. Welch 0-1.
Westfield rebounds (26) Van Dyke 8, Chin 7, Simons 4, Reinoehl 3, C. Welch 2, Banks 1, Pollard 1.
Score by Quarters
Heights 15 13 8 18 – 54
Westfield 21 11 10 24 – 66
Westfield’s Zach Banks (right) scored 30 points for the Shamrocks in their 66-54 win over Hamilton Heights Friday at The Rock. Pictured at left for the Huskies is Max Beale. (Richie Hall)