Varsity Boys Basketball Edged Out by Chaparrals During Final Seconds of Playoff Game

Amy Simon, Sports Editor| February 22, 2023

  • The Warriors celebrate a good play in the fourth quarter of the game. The student section was packed with fans cheering the Warriors through the first round of playoffs.

    Ellen Chuo
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  • Heading towards the paint, Gabe Parr ‘23 dribbles down the court. Parr, along with Henry Chuo ‘23 were given the titles of team captions this year after three years playing with the varsity team.

    Ellen Chuo
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  • Henry Chuo ‘23 dribbles down the court, avoiding Westlake’s defense. This was Chuo’s final game after three years playing for the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team.

    Ellen Chuo
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  • Skye Drechsler ‘23 shoots and scores a three-point shot for the Warriors.

    Ellen Chuo
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  • Looking for a player to pass to, Brady Tomich ‘23 handles the ball in the second quarter. This was Thomich’s second year making the playoffs with the Warriors.

    Ellen Chuo
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  • Cayden Branch ‘23 gets blocked by one of the Westlake’s players. Branch was the highest scoring player of this season.

    Ellen Chuo
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On Monday, Feb. 20, the varsity boys’ basketball team competed against the Westlake Chaparrals for the first round of playoffs. Westwood, who were seeded third in their district, competed against the Chaparrals, who were seeded second in their respective district, for the bi-district champion title.

After the tipoff, both teams worked aggressively to dribble the ball down the court and shoot. Through solid team chemistry on and off the court, the Warriors maintained consistent passes and worked well to build opportunities for each other. The Warriors held a slight lead during most of the game; however, the Chaparrals’ consistent drives to the basket and shots left no time for the Warriors to second-guess themselves.

During the second half, the Warriors maintained their slight lead, with Gabriel Parr ‘23 blocking several attempts of shots near the basket. With 16 seconds left on the clock, Westlake called a timeout. The Chaparrals were one point away from tying the Warriors and took the duration of the timeout to discuss strategies to either score or get fouled. After coming back to the court, the Warriors called a timeout. When the clock started back up again, the audience stood up, anticipating the final moments of the game. With 2.7 seconds left on the clock, Westlake scored on a fadeaway shot, edging the Warriors out by one point. A foul secured by the Chaparrals following the shot gave them an additional advantage. The Warriors called another timeout with 0.6 seconds left on the clock. However, they were unable to score, solidifying Westlake’s win.

“I thought it was really competitive for the last game of the season,” Brady Tomich ‘23 said. “It was really fun, it was just super close. There were a lot of people there so that was really nice. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Tough way to go out to be honest, but it is what it is. No regrets.”

This game concluded the team’s season. The Warriors will continue to practice during off and pre-season to prepare for the 2023-24 season.