Westfield girls basketball rides late surge to advance to first-ever state final

FRANKLIN (Somerset) – The Westfield High School girls basketball team hadn’t been challenged much in the NJSIAA Tournament, cruising to its first-ever sectional championship with four lopsided wins, including a 27-point triumph in Tuesday’s North 2 Group 4 final win over Hillsborough. Thursday, in the state Group 4 semifinals, the Blue Devils were finally put to the test by super-athletic, super-hungry Union City, and Westfield responded like a champion.

The Blue Devils shook off a slow start, finishing a rhythm midway through the first quarter, and when the Eagles erupted after halftime to take their first lead since the start of the game, Westfield was equal to the task, riding a strong finish to the third quarter and a huge lopsided run to start the fourth, finishing with a 46-31 victory over Union City at Franklin High School.

Senior center Grace Klag led the way for the Blue Devils, with 14 points and 12 rebounds, totaling eight points and nine rebounds in the second half, and was integral during the 15-0 charge to start the fourth quarter that put the game away.

“We obviously had a little bit of a slow start today, but we’re all so hungry,” said Klag, who was held to just eight points and six boards Tuesday against Hillsborough, spending all but a minute or so of the first half on the bench. “We’ve already made history, but we just want to keep going until we’ve made it until the end.”

Union City got things started with a Jaylyn Orefice 3-pointer to start the game, and while the Eagles wouldn’t lead against until it took a brief advantage in the third quarter, their athleticism forced Westfield into some early turnover, before the Blue Devils took control and led 12-8 after one period.

The second quarter saw only 11 total point scored, with Westfield leading 17-14 at halftime, but Union City seemed energized after halftime and looked ready to take control of the contest, taking a 19-17 lead 2:30 into the stanza.

That’s when Klag and her teammates went to work, as the 6-foot-2 Bucknell commit turned in four quick points and finished the quarter with six rebounds, as Westfield started to dominate the paint, an area where the Eagles were able to thrive in the first half.

The teams were tied 27-27 with time expiring and the Blue Devils were forced to send three starters to the bench with foul issues. That’s when the Westfield reserves made their impact, as junior Ave Burke gathered in a loose ball, before sophomore Sara Rooney made a key pass to Annie Ryan, who hit a jumper at the buzzer to retake the lead for Westfield.

That sparked a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter, that saw Union City take two fruitless timeouts within a two-minute span that featured four Eagles turnovers.

“(The run) started at the end of the third,” Westfield coach Liz McKeon said. “We got into some foul trouble and then we had some key reserves come in. Ava jumped in off the bench, dove on the ball and got a loose ball, Sara Rooney comes in and gives the assist to Annie Ryan, who hit that jumper at the buzzer, and that set our fourth quarter rolling. Everybody talks about the scorers and the starting 5, but my hat goes off to Ava and Sara today, because I really don’t think that run happens without the two of them.”

Chloe Kreusser pitched in eight points and five rebounds in the win, while Paige Gorczyca added seven points and five boards for the Blue Devils.

Orefice led the Eagles with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Erika Mercedes added 11 points and five boards. Fernanda Young hauled in eight rebounds.

“They’re such an athletic team and they had an amazing game,” Klag said. “But we finally decided that we wanted to step up and start making moves. We realized we weren’t ready to go home. I’m so proud of everyone.”

Key play

Annie Ryan’s jumper at the buzzer to end the third quarter put Westfield up 29-27 and the Blue Devils would never trail again, using a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter to pull away.

They said it

“It changed all their faces. Their faces had been down all day, but that jumper just got the momentum we needed to go into the fourth quarter.” – Westfield coach Liz McKeon on Ryan’s third-quarter buzzer beater, grabbing the momentum her team carried to victory.

What it means

Westfield, which improved to 27-5, followed up its first-ever sectional title, which it won Tuesday, by securing its first trip to the group finals.

What’s Next

Westfield will take on South Jersey champ Cherokee in the state Group 4 final, noon Sunday at RWJBarnabas Health Arena on the campus of Toms River High School North.

Staff writer Simeon Pincus can be reached CNGirlsHoops@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Westfield girls basketball rides late surge to advance to state final