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12/26/2017 11:00 PMThe Knights saw their boys’ basketball team put together a historic winter campaign that featured a conference title, while the girls’ basketball squad turned in a fine showing in its own right during the 2017-’18 winter season. Along with that, Danyelle Engels grabbed the gold medal in the shot put at the Shoreline Conference Championship.
Boys’ Basketball
The Westbrook boys’ basketball squad had its best season in program history in 2017. The Knights finished with an overall record of 25-3, claimed their first Shoreline Conference Tournament championship, and advanced to the Class S State Tournament final for the first time.
Head Coach Jeff Beeman’s squad posted a 18-2 regular-season record. Then in the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Knights dismantled Cromwell 77-48, beat Old Saybrook 63-55, and took the title with a 63-49 against East Hampton in the final. In the Class S State Tournament, the Knights progressed to the final by beating Portland (72-55), Lyman Memorial (73-42), St. Paul (86-68), and Aerospace (80-51). Westbrook took a 61-52 loss to Trinity Catholic in the final 61-52 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Westbrook was led by their senior captain guard tandem of Liam Bell and Cory Muckle, who both notched their 1,000th career points within 10 days of each other. Bell had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, and came one steal away from quadruple-double on his historic night, while Muckle scored 30 points when he reached a grand. Bell was named to the New Haven Register All-Area Team, as well as its All-State Third Team. Bell also earned a spot on the Coach’s All-State First Team alongside Muckle, who also received Register All-State Honorable Mention.
Girls’ Basketball
Westbrook finished 2017 with an overall record of 16-8, including a win in both the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments.
The Knights went 15-5 for the regular season. After that, Westbrook earned a 68-57 victory versus Old Lyme in the Shoreline quarterfinals and then took a 54-43 loss to East Hampton in the semis. In states, the Knights beat the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy 53-51 and then dropped a 68-56 contest against Weaver in the second round.
Sophomore guard Savannah Marshall led the Knights with 23.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.5 steals per game on her way to earning All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors, as well as spots on the New Haven Register All-Area Team, the Register All-State Third Team, and the Coaches’ Class S All-State Team. Senior captain forward Adara Bochanis earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention. Zoe Elhert was the other senior captain for Head Coach Kelly Landino’s squad.
Girls’ Indoor Track
Westbrook finished 10th at the Shoreline Championship, where junior Danyelle Engels won the shot put with a throw of 33 feet-1 inch. In the Class S State Championship, Engels launched a personal-best throw of 34 feet-2 inches to finish in sixth place.
Boys’ Indoor Track
The Knights were represented by several athletes in the Shoreline Conference Championship, where they finished in 10th place. The top postseason performances for Westbrook came from Jay Donlan, who finished second in the shot put at Shorelines and was 10th at states.
Cheerleading
The Knights participated in the Class S State Championship this year. Westbrook posted a 14th-place finish at the meet.
Wrestling
Westbrook’s Griffin Drum competed Class S State Championship. The senior took a first-round loss in 182-pound weight class.