By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – Westfield scored an overwhelming all-county victory on Friday, as the Shamrocks beat Hamilton Heights 68-33 at CSI Gymnasium.
Westfield was in control from the start, scoring the game’s first seven points. Cam Haffner began the contest with two free throws, then Trey Buchanan and Nic Depasquale each made layins. Alex Romack then hit a foul shot, and the ‘Rocks were up 7-0 just a minute and a half into the game.
Tillman Etchison got the Huskies on the board with a jumper. Haffner made his own jumper and a Buchanan 3-pointer started a 13-4 run for Westfield, which led 20-6 after the first quarter.
“I thought we got off to a good start tonight, which I think was critical, and had a lot of guys contribute,” said ‘Rocks coach Shane Sumpter.
The Shamrocks would steadily build their lead throughout the game. A 6-0 run put Westfield up 28-10 midway through the second quarter; Romack scored four points sandwiched between a Depasquale layin.
Dean Mason and Isaac Tuma drained back-to-back triples to give Heights its own 6-0 run late in the quarter. The Shamrocks finished the half with a 3 from Haffner, and Westfield led 33-16 at the break.
The ‘Rocks expanded their lead even more in the third quarter, using an 11-2 run to lead 52-23 by the end of the period. Romack took over during the final two minutes, making three consecutive layins.
Luke Carroll hit a 3 for the Huskies to begin the fourth quarter, which was answered by a Trey Dorton basket and another Haffner 3. Westfield finished the game by scoring eight straight points; Sam Bishop was good on a three-point play, Kai Butterworth hit a triple and Armani Middlebrooks scored off a steal.
“A lot of guys came in and gave us some good, solid minutes, and we’re going to need everybody down the stretch,” said Sumpter.
Haffner finished the game with 19 points and three 3-pointers. Romack added 17 points and Depasquale scored 10.
“Good team win for us all around,” said Sumpter. “I thought we got better as a basketball team tonight.”
Etchison led Heights with 11 points.
“Our guys knew the level they are, and we competed,” said Huskies coach Chad Ballenger. “For the most part, we competed. I thought we could’ve made a few more runs. We took some quick shots and played into their hand a little bit, their length, and they sped us up, so it was hard. We were trying to be patient. But they’re really good.”
Westfield is 15-5 and travels to Fishers tonight for a makeup Hoosier Crossroads Conference game. The Huskies are 8-9 and host Frankton Tuesday.
WESTFIELD 68, HAMILTON HEIGHTS 33
Heights FG FT TP PF
Luke Carroll 2 2-2 7 4
Cooper Vondersaar 0 0-0 0 0
Isaac Tuma 3 0-0 7 2
Tillman Etchison 5 0-0 11 1
Dean Mason 2 0-0 6 2
Maddox Bohland 0 0-0 0 0
Evan Williamson 1 0-0 2 1
Tanner Maynard 0 0-0 0 1
Colin Kuhn 0 0-0 0 0
Totals 13 2-2 33 11
Heights 3-pointers (5) Mason 2, Carroll 1, Tuma 1, Etchison 1.
Westfield FG FT TP PF
Cam Haffner 7 2-2 19 0
Trey Buchanan 2 0-0 5 1
Trey Dorton 2 0-0 4 2
Nic Depasquale 5 0-0 10 0
Alex Romack 6 5-6 17 1
Kai Butterworth 2 0-0 5 0
Sam Bishop 2 1-1 6 2
Jonah Spinner 0 0-0 0 1
Armani Middlebrooks 1 0-0 2 0
Totals 27 8-9 68 7
Westfield 3-pointers (6) Haffner 3, Buchanan 1, Butterworth 1, Bishop 1.
Score by Quarters
Heights 6 12 7 8 – 33
Westfield 20 13 19 16 – 68