Westinghouse Stops Boys Girls in OT

BROOKLYN, NY - On Tuesday, The Warriors would battle their Kings County rivals, the Boys & Girls Kangaroos, who were hoping to pull off an opening season win on Westinghouse's home court. Buoyed by strong physical play from Jaheem Page (33 points) and Gerald Williams (23 points), the Kangaroos hopes would be stymied in overtime, 82-72.

"We had something to prove," said Page, the Warriors 6'6"senior forward. That sentiment was echoed by Warriors head coach Everett Kelley who said, "This win was big."

The Warriors opened up on their home court with an impressive first quarter run paced by Page and junior teammate Malick Riley (9 points). Westinghouse led 18-11 to start the second quarter but Boys & Girls began to make a surge as junior guard Nehemiah Boone (19 points) attacked the rim. With 5:35 left in the half, Westinghouse was only up by six.

Page played strong in the paint, increasing Westinghouse's lead but a trifecta by Boone cut the Boys & Girls deficit to 5 points with 3:24. A minute later, sophomore guard Charlie Sprowal (10 points) sliced the lead to 26-24. Westinghouse scored a free throw but with 1:44, Gianni Ford (18 points) tied the game at 27 with a long ball.

Page once again gave Westinghouse a two point advantage. Junior Jamir Cheek (7 points) would draw a foul with a chance to tie as time ran out but went 1-1. Westinghouse led 31-30 at the half.

The Kangaroos got their first lead, scoring in the paint but Westinghouse responded with a four-point burst to reclaim the advantage. Williams, a powerful junior 2-guard, tried to keep Westinghouse in front but they lost the lead once again. As the quarter ended, a bucket by Boone pushed the Roos up, 43-39.

Williams began to assert himself as Boys & Girls put their bigs on the perimeter defensively. Things got heated as Riley and senior Anthony Cadagan from Boys & Girls got into it and received double techs. The resulting momentum pendulum swing favored the Roos who pushed their lead to eight before the Warriors could gain their composure and respond.

The Kangaroos took a 52-46 lead into the final quarter with Ford extending that lead with a jumper to open up the quarter. Defensively, Westinghouse was being contained except for Williams who was still dominating on both ends. Page was silent for the first half of the quarter but a feed from Williams set him up for an easy deuce, a play which excited the crowd. Westinghouse had soon pulled to within three

2:43 remained in regulation and Boys was still ahead 60-59. A turnover and a foul would put Williams on the line. He would go 2-2 putting Westinghouse back on top, 61-60. With 1:56, the Kangaroos would tie the game at 61, going 1-2 but a tough move by Page in the paint put Westinghouse on top 63-61 with 25.1 seconds left.

Boone had the rock as time ran down and took a contested jumped that came up short. Page grabbed the rebound and drew a foul with 9.1 second to all but seal the deal for Westinghouse but Sprowal drained a buzzer beater to send the game into OT tied at 64.

Williams powered in for two but Sprowal responded for the Roos and the intensity hit an all-time high. With 2:26 on the clock the game is again knotted at 66. Page would put Westinghouse ahead with a bank shot. Boys & Girls head Coach Ruth Lovelace immediately called a timeout to settle her squad who were becoming a bit unsettled in their execution down the stretch. 6'6" Senior perimeter threat, Justin Bogle (5 points) hit what could have been a backbreaking trey but Sprowal countered for Boys & Girls. 42.9 seconds were left in the first OT and a bucket by Page put Westinghouse ahead 73-69 as the Warrior began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The freebees and poor shot selection in the final minutes by Boys & Girls would come back to haunt the Kangaroos and help secure the victory for Westinghouse. Ford drew a foul but went 1-2 from the line while Page grabbed the rebound, drew a foul and knocked down both free throws. Ford took an ill-advised long ball attempt with 30 seconds left and afoul plus a tech on Sprowal spelled doom for Boys & Girls. Westinghouse would win by double digits.

Coach Kelley applauded the player's efforts in his post-game speech to his team and spoke to NYCHoops.net about the team's limitations going into the game. "We had some guys out today that weren't able to play, "Kelley said. "We had a short team and a very short rotation." Kelley said that players that don't normally get minutes came up big.

Westinghouse's go-to-guys were ultimately the difference makers in the home stretch with Page carrying the first half and Williams carrying the second half. "Jaheim and Gerald were just huge," Coach Kelley asserted.