Westfield Lady Pioneers claim Regional Title once again!
Two quick wins last week sealed the deal for the Westfield varsity girls’ basketball team as they claimed their second Regional title in as many seasons. Westfield hosted both rounds of the WIAA Division 4 Regional last week. On Friday, they hosted Colby, playing to an easy 74-42 win. The Regional Final was held on Saturday, ending with a 50-34 win for the Lady Pioneers.
Colby 22-20 42
Westfield 38-36 74
Westfield received a bye in the first regional round last Tuesday after earning the top seed in Division 4, Sectional 2. Their first opponent was the #9 seeded Colby, who came off a first-round win at Princeton/Green Lake. At 8-15, Colby was the underdog in this contest with the 23-1 Pioneers. Westfield came out showing their strength, playing to a 38-22 lead at halftime. Westfield held Colby to 20 points in the second half, and the final buzzer found them winning with a 32-point margin.
Carly Drew topped the scoring column for Westfield, finishing the night with 27 points, including three 3-pointers. She went 6-for-6 at the free throw line and grabbed 11 rebounds, along with 5 steals and 4 assists.
In second place was Brandi Lentz, scoring 15 points, 8 of them at the free throw line. She also got 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and 1 assist to her credit.
Haddie Showen scored 12 points, all from 3-pointers. Her credits also included 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 steals.
In total, the team sunk 13 of 29 field goals, 9 of 35 three-point shots, and 21 of 30 free throws.
Westfield (FG, FT, TP): Haddie Showen 4, 0-0, 12; Trista Drew 1, 3-5, 6; Carly Drew 9, 6-6, 27; Mya Reetz 1, 0-0, 3; Sidney Hoffa 2, 1-2, 5; Nadia Hoffa 2, 3-4, 7; Brandi Lentz 2, 8-13, 14.
3 Pts: Haddie Showen 4, Carly Drew 3, Trista Drew 1, Mya Reetz 1.
Wittenberg-Birn 17-19 36
Westfield 30-20 50
The second round of Regionals found Westfield on their home court again, facing #5 seed Wittenberg-Birnamwood who advanced after a win at #4 Marathon. This game resulted in another convincing win for Westfield, this time by a closer 50-36 score. Westfield maintained a large lead throughout most of the game, allowing only one brief mid-game lull when the Chargers pulled to within 9 points.
Carly Drew led the Lady Pioneers for this contest, scoring 17 points with the help of three 3-pointers. Haddie Showen was also in double digits with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Nadia Hoffa and Brandi Lentz each put up 8 points.
Leading rebounders included Hoffa with 6, Lentz with 5, and Trista and Carly Drew with 4 apiece. Assist leaders included Trista Drew and Lentz with 4 apiece. Showen and Hoffa recorded 3 apiece.
Carly Drew topped the steals column with 3, while Showen got 2.
Westfield only got a few opportunities at the free throw line and sunk 3 of 6 shots. They had another good night for 3-pointers, making 7 of 18 shots.
Following the win, the team celebrated by posing for pictures with the regional trophy along, with a celebratory cutting down of the basketball net. Coach Showen said, “The girls persevered in probably not our best game shooting the ball, not our best game taking care of the ball. But we made enough plays to get up by 14 points and win at home. It was a gritty performance and come playoffs there’s only one stat that matters and that’s getting a W. I’m proud of the girls for fighting through some tough moments and then kind of regrouping and making some plays defensively. Any time you hold somebody to 36 points that’s usually going to get it done the way we can score.”
Now, the Lady Pioneers turn their attention to the first round of D4 Sectional play on Thursday, March 3rd. The 25-1 Westfield team goes on the road to Amherst for this contest, where they will face the 19-7 Auburndale, ranked #2 in this D4 Semi-Final Sectional. Auburndale made it through their regional journey with narrow wins over Abbotsford (63-61) and Iola-Scandinavia (48-42).
A win there will put Westfield into the Sectional finals on Saturday, March 5th, hosted by Appleton East.
Westfield (FG, FT, TP): Haddie Showen 4, 0-0, 10; Trista Drew 1, 0-0, 3; Carly Drew 7, 0-0, 17; Sidney Hoffa 2, 0-0, 4; Nadia Hoffa 3, 1-1, 8; Brandi Lentz 3, 2-5, 8.
3 Pts: Carly Drew 3, Haddie Showen 2, Trista Drew 1, Nadia Hoffa 1.
