Westford Academy Girls’ Basketball blew out Weston High School 71-29 at a home game on Tuesday, Jan. 14, extending their season record to 6-3. With a comfortable lead in all four quarters, the Ghosts were able to rotate most of their players into the game and implement the skills they had been focusing on in recent practices. The Ghosts’ win was marked by strong offensive play, solid defense, and effective teamwork throughout all four quarters.
Despite Weston scoring the first basket, the Ghosts came out strong, immediately following up with a three-pointer by junior Maddie Smith. Although Weston played aggressively, having four fouls in the first quarter, they still rarely had possession of the ball and only scored one more basket by the end of the quarter. Baskets by Smith, junior Kaitlyn Pepin, and senior Faith Williams greatly contributed to the team’s lead of 23-4. Towards the end of the quarter, Weston upped their offense, keeping the ball on the Ghosts’ side of the court but failing to take accurate shots.
“I think we were pretty confident going in, just because we had seen the scores of other games that Weston had, but you never know,” senior captain Erin Keefe said. “So we definitely still came out with good energy, even though we felt confident.”
The Ghosts continued their strong offensive front at the beginning of the second quarter. Within the first 30 seconds, junior Hannah Lupien made a fast break across the court and scored an open layup. However, Weston strengthened their attacking approach as well, with their star player senior Kitty Flanagan scoring multiple baskets, making the score 33-11.
The third quarter was full of action as both teams doubled their scores. Although Weston tried their best to maintain possession of the ball, their inaccuracy diminished their ability to score significantly. The Ghosts were often able to take advantage of the inaccuracy, regaining possession immediately after Weston’s failed attempts to score. They had higher jumps, higher energy levels, and were able to make strong passes as well as take confident shots.
“For the past few practices, we have worked on running the court on offense which helped us as it was a hole in Weston’s defense. In addition, we are working to decrease the amount of second chance shots [other teams] have,” Pepin said.
Weston’s frustration led to the Ghosts spending a large part of the third quarter at the free-throw lines. Freshman Grace Trahan approached the line twice, and both junior Olivia Pillsbury and Williams were able to sink two free throws in the first half of the quarter. The Ghosts’ large lead allowed for many different players to contribute to the team, and rack up points including junior Brooke Nielsen, assisted by Pepin, and sophomores Emma Pavo and Alexa Coward, bringing the score to 63-21.
During the last quarter, things slowed down as the Ghosts took more of a defensive approach, focusing on passing and running down the shot clock. Toward the end of the quarter, Weston was able to sneak in a few two-pointers, but the Ghosts’ fast feet and high jumps stopped the majority of Weston’s offensive attacks. Despite the considerable lead throughout the game, the Ghosts were able to keep up high energy even in the last quarter, securing a 71-29 victory.
“I think we played very well,” head coach Russ Coward said. “We’ve been practicing very hard and it showed today.”
