Sometimes your offense doesn’t work. For the first five minutes and 20 seconds of #17 Westmont Women’s Basketball’s Golden State Athletic Conference game against the Hawks of San Diego Christian (6-12, 2-4 GSAC), Westmont (15-3, 2-3) couldn’t buy a basket. The Warriors missed on their first nine field goals and two free throws.
The good news for the Warriors is that their defense was firing on all cylinders. While Coach Kirsten Moore was trying different plays and different personnel to ignite the offense, the Warrior defense allowed just four points.
“Defense led the way for us tonight,” said Moore, whose team posted a 78-46 win. “To hold them to single digits for basically the whole first half was a great defensive effort by our players to get in passing lanes and not let them run their offense. We were able to play off of that defense on the offensive end.”
Westmont’s offense entered the game with Aimee Brakken (10 points). Shortly after coming off the bench, Brakken drove to the basket, pulled up in the lane and hit an eight-footer for the Warriors’ first points of the game. She also drew a foul a from the Hawks’ Angela Pena (13 points, 3 rebounds) and converted for an old-fashioned three-point play. On the next possession, Brakken drained a three-pointer from the angle to put the Warriors up 6-4 and spark a 23-0 run.”
Conversely, the Hawks continued to struggle with the Warrior defense and suffered through an eleven and one-half minute scoring drought, allowing Westmont to take a 23-4 lead.
By the time the first-half horn sounded, the Warriors were up 33-11. After missing its first nine field goals in the opening frame, the Warriors made 12 of 23 the rest of the period. The Hawks made just five of 29 first-half attempts.
The second half saw the rims more receptive to receiving basketballs on both ends. The Warriors pressed their advantage, outscoring the Hawks 45-35 in the final 20 minutes. Westmont was led in scoring by Aysia Shellmire who recorded a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
“Aysia was great for us tonight on the boards and finishing opportunities inside as well,” noted Moore. “I thought our bench was great,” praised Moore. “Aimee got the lid off the basket for us and we rallied from there. Hailey Filer (6 points), Jae Ferrin (5 points) and Morgan Haskin (10 points, 4 rebounds) all played great off the bench. It was a great team effort tonight.”
Next up for the Warriors is a Saturday afternoon game at Murchison against Arizona Christian (0-5, 4-14). Tip-off is scheduled for two o’clock.
