BLYTHEWOOD – Intensity mattered for the Westwood boys basketball team against Sumter Tuesday night at The Castle.
Four Westwood players scored in double figures, while the defense made 11 steals that contributed to 27 Gamecocks turnovers in the Redhawks’ 70-50 victory that closed out the first half of Region 5-5A play.
D’Marcus Thomas led the way with 19 points and Jayden Crews added 16 points. Cylan McLeod and Quentin McGill had 10 points apiece for the Redhawks (17-1, 6-0).
“D’Marc had a big night, he had a lot of tough shots,” Westwood head coach Trent Robinson said. “I wish it could have been a little easier sometimes, but he’s playing well in region play right now, so I’m happy.”
Robinson noted that Sumter and Westwood were similar teams on offense, which made the game intense, even if the Redhawks led most of the way.
“We knew in the last game they played (a 60-40 non-region win over Lexington Saturday), they played a lot of zone, and the last game we played (a 74-33 win at West Florence Friday), we kind of resembled them in our effectiveness in scoring and guard play,” Robinson said. “We expect the zone, and we told the guys, it may come to a slow start, but we’ve got to keep chipping away. If we get some easy ones, then the 3s will start to fall.”
Westwood, ranked second in the state behind Greenville in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s 5A Division 2 Top 10, had a rough moment in the first quarter. After going up 6-5 on Sumter, the Gamecocks went on a 10-2 scoring run while the Redhawks went 0-for-4 from the field, including three missed 3-point attempts.
Sumter led 15-8 at the 2:27 mark of the first, but Westwood closed out the quarter on a 10-0 scoring run, including two Thomas free throws and eight points from Crews to lead 18-15 going into the second quarter.
The Redhawks found their 3 stroke in the second quarter, getting treys from Quentin McGill, Cylan McLeod, and Thomas that were a part of Westwood’s 14-3 scoring run to start the second quarter.
With a 32-18 lead in place, the Redhawks kept that cushion for the rest of the game. Westwood led 38-26 at the half, and finally went up 20 points with Crews’ two baskets in the last two minutes that closed out the scoring.
B.J. Brown scored 19 points and Eli Britt had 15 points to lead Sumter (13-7, 3-3).
On Friday night at West Florence, Westwood eased past the Knights (0-5, 3-15) 74-33. McGill had 17 points and three assists, and A.J. Veal had 12 points.
The Westwood girls (12-8, 3-3) beat West Florence 62-15 West Florence Friday night, then picked up their third straight region win with a 39-25 victory over Sumter.
Amari Alexander led the way with 15 points, and the Redhawks defense shut out the Gamecocks in the first quarter and held them to four points in the fourth quarter.
Westwood was missing two girls from the lineup Tuesday night, which head coach Gregory Bauldrick said led to some scoring deficiencies. The Redhawks got to a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Sumter outscored them 13-6 in the second quarter.
Up 16-13 at the half, the Redhawks played a little better, winning the third quarter 13-8 and fourth quarter 10-4.
“We’ll take it,” Westwood head coach Gregory Bauldrick said. “It was about this time last year that we were able to string a few together and finished a little stronger. Once we get really settled and those that are truly locked in want to finish strong, we’ll be OK.”
Westwood starts the second half of region play with a home game against Blythewood Friday. The Redhawks beat the Bengals 67-52 in the boys game, and the Blythewood girls beat Westwood 72-39.
On Tuesday, Westwood travels to Ridge View, ranked No.3 in the SCBCA 5A Division 1 Top 10. Westwood knocked off the Blazers 64-61 in a thriller at The Castle Jan. 5, and the girls fell 59-52.
“We’ll see whether or not we learned from the experiences we’ve already had,” Bauldrick said.
Added Robinson, “The first time is hard when it comes to region, but the second time around is even harder. They’ve seen us one time, and they’ve scouted, scouted, scouted, so we can’t be complacent, and be ready to come to practice tomorrow ready to work, and just keep chipping away.”
Boys
Sumter – 15-11-15-9 — 50
Westwood – 18-20-17-15 — 70
Sumter
B.J. Brown 19, Eli Britt 15, Gregg 8, White 4, Burch 3, Choice 1.
Westwood
D’Marcus Thomas 19, Jayden Crews 16, Cylan McLeod, Quentin McGill 10, Donaldson 7, Veal 6, Huell 2.
Girls
Sumter – 0-13-8-4 — 25
Westwood – 10-6-13-10 — 39
Sumter
Kennedy 6, Gregg 6, Tindal 4, Thomas 4, Anderson 2.
Westwood
Amari Alexander 15, Duggar 8, Rogers 7, Heath 7, Clarke 2.
