PORTLAND – While holiday tournament games don’t mean anything in the standings, a big win in one of those exhibitions can play a significant role in building a team’s momentum going into the second half of the season.
That’s exactly what the Westbrook girls basketball team is hoping for as the 3-3 Blazes, fresh off a win over Noble, went into the Portland High School holiday basketball tournament at the Portland Expo on Wednesday morning and came away with a 51-37 win over Richmond.
Westbrook coach Chris Aube said that while winning the exhibition game was the team’s main goal, it was also a perfect chance for the Blazes to work on some aspects of their play in a game situation without having to worry about the standings. “It was an opportunity for us to try some different things,” Aube said. “(We) worked on some things defensively. We were able to shoot the ball pretty well for us. We’ve been struggling to score, so it was nice to see some shots fall.”
Westbrook dominated this one throughout. Westbrook’s Paige Baldwin led all scorers with 15 points, while Blazes’ Kayla Winton added 10, including two 3-pointers.
Westbrook jumped out to a big 14-4 lead at the end of the first quarter and lengthened that lead to 28-9 at the half. Things got dicey for Westbrook at the start of the third as Richmond went on a bit of a roll, getting some big hoops from Jamie Plummer and cutting the Westbrook lead to as little as nine.
But after a time out about midway through the quarter, Westbrook settled down and got some clutch hoops from Meg Niehoff (four points), Jess Harris (two points) and Baldwin to put the lead back to double digits as the Blazes went into the fourth quarter sporting a 38-24 advantage.
Aube said his team has had its share of struggles in the third quarter all season. “We’ve been struggling at the start of quarters,” Aube said. “This is a group that I don’t think is used to having a lead, most of last year they were down at the half. I think it’s something that we have to get better at, really put our foot on the gas and be able to finish teams off.”
Westbrook kept up the pressure in the fourth, outscoring Richmond 18-8 to cruise to the win.
Aube said that in addition to using the holiday exhibition games as a way to work on his team’s game, he also uses them to give minutes to his bench players, giving him a chance to see what they are capable of against a live opponent.
“I’ve always used (holiday tournaments) as a second evaluation for certain kids, who maybe aren’t getting time in regular season games,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to see them (in a game situation), and it’s a chance to work on some things without the desperation of having to get a win. It gives the younger kids a chance to play.”
Having that chance to get into a game at the Portland Expo can also play dividends at the end of the season, as the younger players have the chance to experience the bigger building and shooting background before the pressure of the playoffs. “This is our tournament site,” Aube said. “I’ve got three freshmen that play significant minutes for us, so it’s nice to get them on this floor as much as we can.”
Westbrook’s Kayla Winton drives to the hoop during the first
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