Engels Defends Shot Put Title at Shorelines; Basketball Teams Have Nice Weeks
Girls’ Indoor Track
Senior Danyelle Engels defended her title in the shot put by winning the event for the second straight season at the Shoreline Conference Championship last week. Engels recorded a distance of 32 feet-1 inch to win gold at the conference meet, which was held at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 3. She earned a spot on the All-Shoreline Conference First Team by virtue of her victory. Overall, the Knights came in ninth place as a team with 31 points scored at the meet.
Also at Shorelines, Avery Bauman finished fourth in the pole vault by clearing 8 feet for Westbrook. Alexandria Young placed fifth in the long jump (15-6) and Tizrah Bliomquist was sixth (14-8.75). The Knights’ 4x800 relay team of Halle Barron, Elizabeth Gallagher, Cierra Brundage, and Bauman came in sixth with a time of 11:24.91.
Girls’ Basketball
Westbrook went 2-1 in its three games last week to improve to 7-7 on the season.
On Jan. 29, the Knights held their second annual Pink Game to raise money and awareness in the battle against cancer. Westbrook wore pink uniforms to mark the occasion, and the team also held a bake sale and raffle in support of the cause.
The game matched Westbrook against Haddam-Killingworth, and the Knights lost a hard-fought contest by the score of 49-45. Westbrook was down 43-31 going into the third quarter and mounted a comeback in the fourth to draw within two points, but came up just short. Junior captain Savannah Marshall had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Knights. Kelly Donlan scored 10 points, while Erin Metcalfe and Gabby Ehlert each added seven points apiece.
“It was disappointing to lose tonight after such a great comeback in the fourth quarter, but the feel and spirit of the night in our fight against cancer was the more important message tonight for our team. So it was successful on a deeper level,” Head Coach Kelly Landino said.
Three days later, Westbrook faced Creed and secured a 39-28 road victory. The Knights got out to a 28-14 halftime lead that they never relinquished. Donlan led the way with 13 points, while Marshall added 10. Metcalfe scored six, and Ehlert had four points in the win.
On Feb. 3, Westbrook hosted North Branford and won a nail-biter by the score of 44-43. Westbrook jumped out to a 11-7 lead, but was behind 22-20 at halftime. However, in the second half, the Knights were able to come away with the win, despite having three players in foul trouble in the fourth quarter. Marshall led the attack with 18 points. Ehlert scored seven points, Metcalfe scored five, while Donlan, Callie Newberg, and Lexi Koplas added four points each.
“We’ve lost a few close games at the end, and this was a gritty win that we needed and deserved,” said Landino. “I’m very proud of my girls. They stayed poised and focused and made smart plays down the stretch.”
Boys’ Basketball
The Knights played two games last week and gained a split of the pair, while picking up their second win of the year.
On Jan. 31, Westbrook headed to Haddam-Killingworth to battle the Cougars and came home with a 76-72 victory. The Knights’ Seth Caslin exploded for 30 points in the win, going 8-of-10 from 3-point land. He also had five assists. Jack Hayes provided 21 points with three 3-pointers to go with 10 rebounds, while Vincent Dyer added 10 points and nine boards. Westbrook shot 51 percent from the field and 62 percent from downtown in the victory.
Two days later, the Knights had a game at Creed and lost 39-36 in a game that came down to the final minutes. Caslin put up 18 points with five makes from beyond the arc. Vincent Dyer collected 11 rebounds, and Brenden Engels had four assists for Westbrook.