In a back and forth game of long runs, the varsity boys’ basketball team was eventually defeated 57-43 by the Cedar Ridge Raiders. Despite the lopsided score, the game on Friday, Jan. 12 was actually quite close, with the Raiders only pulling away for good in the final two minutes.

The Raiders came out with an explosion of points, taking the lead 6-0 to start the game. However, the Warriors stayed calm and Brandon Parks ‘20 knocked one down from beyond the arc. Though the Raiders responded with two scores, Luke Durham ‘19 hit a corner three to bring the score to 11-8. In reply, the Raiders hit a shot to widen their lead to five points before the quarter’s end.

In the second quarter, both teams started strong with scoring possessions early on. On one of those, a corner three-pointer by Parks cut the Raiders lead to 19-16, but on the ensuing Cedar Ridge possession, the Raiders hit a three-pointer that would begin an 18-7 run. Despite an and-one play that decreased the Raiders advantage to 34-23, Cedar Ridge hit a buzzer beater to end the quarter 37-23.

“We were down 14 at halftime after they hit the three-pointer at the buzzer, but it was a much closer game numbers-wise than 14,” Coach Brad Hastings said. “Cedar Ridge has the ability to go on 6-0 and 8-0 runs quick, and that happened to us each half. That was the difference in the game.”

In the third, the Warriors dominated both defensively and offensively. While playing intense defense to hold Cedar Ridge to five points total in the entire quarter, the offense also scored 13. The 13-5 run included a layup by Parks, a full court pass to Durham that led to an easy score, and a three by Durham. On the defensive side of the ball, Ethan Brown ‘19 stood tall in the paint and drew several charging fouls to end Raiders possessions. The run, and the quarter, ended on a layup by Demetrius Jones ‘19 that brought the score to 42-36, Raiders advantage.

“I think we fought back hard,” Patrick Sladek ‘19 said. “Ethan Brown had a really good game. He had a lot of rebounds and took a lot of charges from their best player. We went on a little run there.”

The momentum initially carried into the fourth quarter with the Warriors quickly scoring four points, but after a layup by Christian Robinson ‘20 that reduced the margin to 42-40, the Raiders found a rhythm once again. It started with free throws that grew the lead to 45-40, and didn’t end until the final buzzer. Westwood was not held scoreless, but they couldn’t keep up as Cedar Ridge pulled away to end the game 57-43.

“I think we stayed resilient,” Coach Hastings said. “I was proud of our guys coming back, cutting it to two, and having possessions where we could have tied it up. But in the end, we just had a couple empty possessions and they would come down and hit their shots.”

The Warriors are looking to bounce back with their next game against the Hendrickson Hawks on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at Hendrickson High School.