With the crowd roaring throughout the game, the varsity boys’ basketball team took on the talented Vandegrift Vipers and eventually fell 65-50 on Friday, Feb. 1.

Both teams came out firing on all cylinders offensively, and the score shot up to 5-5 with a couple of buckets by each side. After a shot from the paint by Christian Robinson ‘20 to give Westwood the lead 7-5, the Warriors hit a three to go up five on Vandegrift. The Vipers quickly reacted with an 8-2 run that included a few layups on fast breaks. In response, Santi Campos ‘20 hit a jumper to regain the lead 14-13, and Luke Durham ‘19 hit a three to increase the Warriors’ point total to 17. However, Vandegrift ended the quarter on a 7-0 run that gave them the lead 20-17.

“In the first quarter, we played as a team really well,” Patrick Sladek ‘19 said. “We just played together and shot the ball well.”

In the second quarter, the Warriors offense went cold. Though a quick three by Durham tied it at 20, Vandegrift took over. While the Warriors couldn’t buy a bucket, the Vipers’ fast-paced offense went to work with full court passes and dominant dunks. After facing an 8-0 run, Brandon Parks ‘20 was able to knock down a three to make the score 28-23. In reply, Vandegrift hit a three of their own and then scored another three points to end the half 34-23.

“It was a fast-paced game, and they shot a high percentage,” head coach Brad Hastings said. “We couldn’t stop them early in transition and you know, we got cold when they got hot.”

The Vipers’ momentum carried over as they quickly hit a three and slammed down a dunk to open the second half, but the Warriors also seemed to find a rhythm. With a tough layup by Parks, threes from Durham and Sladek, and an and-one play by Robinson, the Warriors soon had 34 points on the board. However, the Vipers never slowed down offensively and matched Westwood’s scoring by bringing the score to 48-34 on a layup. The Warriors hit a couple of free throws in an attempt to cut into the lead, but the quarter ended 52-36.

“They controlled the pace,” Dylan Granger ‘19 said. “We weren’t getting back to stop fast breaks which could be a big factor for why they got so much momentum, because that is where they got a lot of their dunks.”

In the final quarter, the Warriors outscored Vandegrift with a strong closing effort. Sladek made a layup to lower the margin to 54-40 and Granger later made four from the line, but the Vipers continued to put up points. After falling behind 63-44, the largest deficit of the night, the Warriors rallied to end on a 6-2 run that included five points from Parks in the form of layups and a free throw.

One major factor in this game was Vipers’ power forward Greg Brown Ⅲ, who scored 29 points against the Warriors that included several slams and a couple of threes.

“We just have to always be watching where he’s at,” Granger said. “If he gets any space, for a three-point shot or anything, he’s there. For all of his lobs, we just have to be there to defend. We did an awful job of that.”

The Warriors are looking to rebound against Leander in a home game on Tuesday, Feb. 5.