Lola Proana-Montana boxes out opponent player to try and snatch the rebound. Her fellow teammates waited close by, ready to grab the ball if it came their way. “I always try and be there ready for the rebound,” Proana-Montana said.
Holly Vessa ’26 Jumps up to beat her defender and make a layup. After a steal on defensive the ball was passed down court to Vessa where she was wide open and ready to shoot.
Hadyn Espinoza ’26 makes a quick pass to Ella Steinheider ’26 to try and get the ball moving. After a pass The Warriors rotated around and made cuts to clear space and try and get open. “I think off ball movement is one of the most important parts of the game,” Espinoza said.
Looking to improve their standings in district play, on Friday, Jan. 12, JV women’s basketball won an intense match against the Stony Point Tigers. Both sides fought hard, and while Stony Point put up a fight, they were unable to outmatch the Warriors’ pace, with Westwood coming out on top 52-39.
Right off the bat, the Warriors came out firing with Lola Proana-Montana ‘26 winning the tip-off, and, using early possession to drive the ball into the paint with a fast break giving the Warriors the first points of the game. This was indicative of the pace the Warriors set for the game, fast and agile. On multiple occasions, the Warriors broke down the Tiger defense and with 4:45 left in the quarter Holly Vessa ‘26 took a leading pass from her teammate for a wide-open layup. The Warriors’ defense started strong as well with Proana-Montana locking down the Tigers with a commanding block. The Warriors continued to go down and score with three-pointers and layups falling easily. The Warriors finished the first quarter on a high note, leading 17-11.
“We came out hard,” Proana-Montana said. “Some of our other games we’ve struggled with coming out hard but we got a lot of blocks on the points and we were really good in transition.”
To start the second quarter the Warriors played a clean offense with Holly Vessa ‘26 putting the first points on the board for Westwood with a simple layup. Proana-Montana brought down multiple defensive rebounds allowing the Warriors more opportunities to shoot the ball. With a little over two minutes left in the half, Vessa was fouled by the Tigers making both her free throws. Offense was of no issue throughout the rest of the quarter with the Warriors keeping up the hustle and ending the first half up 28-20.
Following their halftime locker room talk Ella Steinheider ‘26 scored the second-half opener, sinking two free throws following a Tiger foul. Proana-Montana continued to pull her weight on defense allowing the Warriors the opportunity to extend their lead following another blocked shot. With time running down in the quarter, Ali Hight ‘26 put down a shot from the three-point line, continuing to rain down on the Tigers. The Lady Warriors end the quarter off strong with another block from Proana-Montana, keeping the Tigers at bay 37-32.
“It’s always the best feeling to make a 3-point shot,” Hight said. “It’s something I practice a lot and I love being able to contribute to my team’s win in any way I can.”
Heading into the final quarter Stony Point looked to finally capture a lead and rip the victory from Westwood’s grasp. However, the Warrior defense stayed strong with Westwood quickly managing to get the ball back following an early Stony Point possession. The Warriors continued to rain down shots on offense taking control of the game, in part by their impressive offensive rebounding performance throughout the entire quarter. Hadyn Espinoza ‘26 continued to stay sharp and led the way offensively with multiple shots, and a four-point-play to her name. Their strong offense coupled with their tightening defense allowed the Warriors to blow past the Tigers in the final quarter winning by double digits 52-39.
“I think we played well as a team,” Hadyn Espinoza ‘26 said. “I think the only thing we needed to work on was probably our communication.”
The Warriors will return to the court Tuesday, Jan. 16 at Manor to take on the Mustangs.
![Multiple Westwood Girls block a Vista Ridge player. Westwoods defense slacked off the entire game, but at certain points it improved. Im proud of us for playing hard and keep[ing] going even when times get rough, Caroline Doughtery 25 said.](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/24-1-30_girlsvarsitybasketball-ashforda-2-1200x800.jpg)
