Westfield’s Luke Vandegriff scored 16 points for the Shamrocks during their Tuesday win over Hamilton Heights. (Richie Hall)
By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – A fast start helped the Westfield boys basketball team to a solid victory over a county opponent on Tuesday.
Hamilton Heights’ Will DeStefano (right) takes the ball inside while being guarded by Westfield’s Brock Detamore. (Richie Hall)
The Shamrocks beat Hamilton Heights 62-48 in a home game at CSI Gymnasium. Westfield ran out to an 11-0 lead to start the contest and weathered a Huskies comeback in the second half with a series of fourth-quarter scoring runs.
“We couldn’t really pull away, and credit Hamilton Heights,” said Rocks coach Shane Sumpter. “Those kids play hard, do a lot of good things.”
Sumpter said several players contributed to Westfield’s win, and that was evident from the start. The Shamrocks’ strong start led to a 17-6 lead after one quarter, with Drew Haffner and Luke Vandegriff each scoring six points.
Vandegriff, the 6-10 junior, kept up the intensity in the second quarter, pouring in eight more points to help the Shamrocks lead 32-21 at halftime. Vandegriff made a pair of dunks during the first half.
“We thought we could take advantage inside and play with Luke a lot,” said Sumpter. “He certainly had a great game.”
The Huskies cut into Westfield’s lead during the third quarter, getting within 35-29. Rees Knapp helped out with seven points in the period.
But Westfield went on a quick 7-0 run to go ahead 42-29. Logan Sumpter hit his third 3-pointer of the game to start the run; he had already made a triple in both the first and second quarters.
Vandegriff finished the period with another dunk, giving the Shamrocks a 44-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Heights’ Hayden Spicer began the fourth with two free throws, but another 7-0 spurt pushed the Rocks ahead 51-35 and their lead never dipped below double digits again.
Haffner scored six points of that run, with Bryce Bigsbee making a free throw for the seventh point. Haffner later scored a rebound basket to give Westfield a 54-38 lead; he finished the game with 25 points, scoring in each quarter.
Vandegriff totaled 16 points, while Logan Sumpter scored 11.
“Obviously Drew is our guy, but we got a lot of guys that we feel can score,” said Shane Sumpter. “Balance is key.”
Shane Sumpter noted that the Huskies used a triangle-two defense and were “chasing Brock [Detamore] and Drew. So, that just tells you what everybody thinks about those guys and what you’re trying to do there. We were able to jump out to a lead and Drew was able to create his own shot tonight, especially early on.”
Knapp led the Huskies with 15 points, while Jack Kakasuleff scored 12 points. Heights saw a 10-game win streak come to an end with the loss, but coach Chad Ballenger was pleased with how his Class 3A Huskies competed against the 4A Shamrocks.
“I thought we did a good job,” said Ballenger. “When we play big schools like Westfield and Noblesville, and the pace is different because of the competition level they play at, it sometimes takes us a while to adjust to that.”
Westfield is 10-7 and began a five-game homestand that will take the Rocks to the end of the regular season. Westfield hosts Harrison Friday. Heights is 10-8 and hosts Lebanon Saturday.
