Sophomore guard Alex Allen drove into the paint, tossing up a layup that was tipped. Senior guard Hunter Davis collected the rebound, throwing up a wild three that didn’t connect. The final horn sounded and the Vandegrift student section rushed down from the stands, celebrating with their team.
“They came out of the second half looking for a run and our response wasn’t quite enough to overcome the momentum shift,” junior guard Blake Cannatti said.
Westlake (24-8) fell to Vandegrift (25-11), 49-47 in a wire-to-wire affair in the bi-district round. The Chaps were sent home in the first round for the first time in 10 years. Westlake held a 25-20 lead going into halftime, but were outscored by seven points in the final two frames
“They switched back and forth between a zone and then a triangle and two and we never got comfortable offensively,” head coach Robert Lucero said. “I thought we still guarded well. They only scored 49 so it wasn’t like they were scoring at a high rate. There were a couple of defensive assignments where we just got mixed up, and they hit a couple of threes.”
Sophomore guard Powell Frickenschmidt had a quick start, getting the Chaps on the board with four straight points. The Vipers tried to answer by turning up the heat on defense and attacking the paint on offense, but senior guard Hunter Davis drilled a three, giving the Chaps a commanding 11-4 lead. Vandy answered with a three of their own, but couldn’t string together stops, giving up another paint basket. The two teams then traded baskets, with Westlake having a 15-9 lead after one.
“In the first half, we were scoring in transition more,” Lucero said. “We had around 10 points in transition. When we get into transition, I think that’s the biggest thing for our team.”
The Chaps kept the Vipers at an arm’s length for the whole second quarter, seeing their lead balloon to eight points before Vandegrift pulled back within three at 21-18 before the Chaps lengthened it back to five at half.
Westlake looked to be in control for the majority of the third quarter before Vandy drilled a huge three, finishing off a 6-0 run to tie the game up at 33. It would be the last time that the Chaps had the lead. The finish to the third quarter was frantic and high-octane, with the Vipers heading into the final frame clinging onto a 39-37 lead.
Once the game was tied at 43 there was an extended scoring drought, with neither team looking to give up an inch. Vandegrift then found some space and knocked down a tie breaking three that would end up icing the game. After a Westlake bucket, Vandy had a two-and-a-half minute possession, dribbling out the clock. At the time that the possession started, the Chaps had one team foul, and they continually intentionally fouled, gradually running down the clock until the Vipers took free throws.
After an 0-2 start in November, Westlake revived their season in district play, grabbing their tenth consecutive title after going 11-1. They will return two starters, Allen and Frickenschmidt, as well as Blake and Joel Cannatti. There are six seniors graduating from the program, including three starters and numerous other key contributors.
“From where the guys were on the first weekend, to where they are at the end of the season, they grew a ton as players and grew as a team,” Lucero said. “That’s the biggest takeaway and the biggest positive. The hard part is when the season is over, you don’t get to be with that team anymore. Everybody really enjoyed the group. Everybody on the team at some point sacrificed for the betterment of the team as a whole.”
