Westwood’s Adonus Lee floats in the reverse layup.
Westwood was determined to do at home what they couldn’t do on the road. Westwood lost badly during their previous meeting on the Camden hardwood, 41-25. While the Redhawks performed much better Friday, in the end, they could not tame the Bulldogs, who handed them a 48-43 loss on Senior Night.
In their last meeting, it was in the fourth quarter that the game slipped away from the ‘Hawks.
“We call it the ‘championship quarter’,” Westwood head coach Terry Dozier said. “We had too many turnovers, as we often do, and we gave them too many second and third shots on the rebound. I know who they are now, I’ve seen them play. They are a better team than you would think. They have good guards. What we will do is zone them up and get a hand in the face of the guards.”
Camden dominated the first period, as the normal first-string players gave way to Westwood’s seniors. Camden scored the first 10 points in the game, and Westwood would not score until Adonus Lee hit a bucket with 4:39 to go in the period. The period ended with Camden leading 18-10, thanks to no less than four 3-point shots by Camden players.
Westwood turned up the heat in the second period, and by 5:13 to go, it was only a three-point game, 20-17, in favor of the Bulldogs. Shortly thereafter, Lee and Austin Madison each hit a pair of free throws to put the Redhawks in the lead for the first time in the game, 21-20. One of the main reasons for Westwood’s comeback was that the defense was doing a remarkable job at keeping Camden outside and by nailing the rebounds.
The game would then see-saw back and forth numerous times with the score only a point or two apart. At halftime, the score was 27-25, Westwood. Halfway through the third period the score was tied 31-31. Westwood hit two 3-pointers in a row, by Marcellus Garrick and Jordan Watson, with only 30 seconds to go in the period. Camden hit a bucket just before the buzzer to take the lead by 38-37.
The final quarter began well for Westwood, as Justin Alewine hit a 3-pointer, tying the score 40-40. At 1:47 to go, the Bulldog’s big man, Delton Bradford, hit a foul shot, extending Camden’s lead to 45-43. In the final 30 seconds, Westwood needed to purposefully foul their opponents to get possession, but Camden sunk too many of their free throws and sealed the victory 48-43.
The game apparently ended the playoff hopes for the Westwood boys. The game’s high scorers were Jordan Council for Camden and Jordan Watson of Westwood, each with 14 points.
Tuesday night, the Redhawks toppled Lower Richland 61-47. Antonio Wright led Westwood with 29 points.
