Multiple Westwood Girls block a Vista Ridge player. Westwood’s defense slacked off the entire game, but at certain points it improved. “I’m proud of us for playing hard and keep[ing] going even when times get rough,” Caroline Doughtery ’25 said.
Isabella D’Alessandro ’25 drives the ball past a Vista Ridge player. D’Alessandro was the start of her team during the game, scoring multiple points for the Warriors. “I’m pretty proud of myself.” said D’Alessandro. “The record doesn’t reflect how hard we played and how we played overall as a team.”
Westwood Cheerleaders lead the crowd in an energetic cheer. Westwood Cheer lead catchy cheers throughout the entire game, even doing a peppy halftime routine.
The girls varsity basketball team faced off against the Vista Ridge Rangers on Tuesday, Jan. 30, in one of their last home games of the regular season. Coming into the game last in district standings, the Warriors were lacking defense and communication brought about by their lack of attention. The Warriors ultimately lost to the Rangers 64-23, in a one-sided game.
“We’ve been on a high recently and [we’ve] been performing well,” Athena Skevofilax ‘26 said. “Today I think we got in our head a little bit and didn’t perform as best as we could.”
The first quarter started strong for both teams defensively as Westwood held their own against both Vista Ridge’s offense and defense. Neither team scored a basket until three minutes into the game when Claire Lee ‘26 put the Warriors on the board. Lee’s bucket was quickly followed by points from the Rangers that showed both teams were prepared to play. Not long after, each team was fouled and given free throws. s With little time left in the first period, the Warrior defense began to slip, and the Rangers took the opportunity to pile the points on the Warriors, ending the period 15-7.
“We started strong and it kind of went a little bit south,” Isabella D’Alessandro ‘25 said. “I think we didn’t get to finish the way that we wanted to start.”
The second quarter got off to a similar pace as the end of the last period with the Rangers capitalizing on their momentum. Additionally, any scoring attempts by Westwood were quickly blocked and taken back for points by the Rangers. After a slow and scoreless start, Taylor Thiemer ‘25 made a much-needed shot giving the Warriors a breath of life. As defense continued to fail, and Westwood got further behind, Addison Linton ‘27 looked to play hero, making a shot, and earning excited screams from the crowd. Even better for the Warriors, Linton was fouled shortly after making a basket, bringing the half to a close 33-13.
“We played hard,” Skevofilax said. “We’re one of the smaller and younger teams but we still push our way to fight against all the other senior teams and compete.”
At halftime, Westwood cheerleaders energized the crowd with an energetic routine. For faculty night festivities, the teachers attending the game were entered in a raffle with a chance to win a gift card. Winners were announced throughout the game, including chemistry teacher Ms. Natalie Fischbach and English teacher, Mr. Scott Chalk. When their names were announced cheers erupted from their students in the stands.
“It’s great to be out here on a Tuesday night, supporting the Warriors,” Mr. Chalk said. “It’s great to break up the week and come show some school spirit, instead of just coming to teach.”
The Warrior defense only went downhill from their already poor performance in the first half as Vista Ridge started strong making the first goal of the third quarter. Westwood’s multiple missed shots and rebounds gave way to opportunities to score for the Rangers. At the end of the third quarter, the Rangers had more than a 30-point lead 51-15, after Westwood took their biggest hit of the night in the third period.
“I think what could have been better is overall our intensity and just our hustle,” D’Alessandro said. “And when things aren’t going our way we got to just keep pushing through and just keep playing hard. Because no matter the score, no matter how everything’s going, we got to play strong.”
Attempting to make the game more competitive, the Warriors entered the last period with nothing to lose. Westwood returned to the strong defense they had in the first quarter, with neither team making a basket until two minutes into the period. Despite their offensive efforts, Westwood still gave up multiple chances to score throughout the fourth quarter. Luckily, in a change of events, the Warriors were able to come up with some sort of offense, hitting a three- pointer. However, in a turn towards tendency, Vista Ridge stole the ball once again with 20 seconds left, setting the final score of 64-23 in stone.
“I’m just really proud of all the girls for sticking together,” D’Alessandro said. “I think with records even if you’re like undefeated or if you haven’t won a single game, sometimes it can put a lot of stress onto the team. And we’ve all managed to not kill each other. But we’ve also I think we’ve grown as a team. Through the losses, I think we’ve gotten stronger, and we’ve just bonded closer together.”
The Warriors will next face off against McNeil on for Senior Night, their last home game of the regular season, on Friday, Feb. 2.
