By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
Westbrook Christian rode the strength of a 16-point second half scoring explosion by Chandler Richards to put away a pesky Ohatchee squad on the way to the Class 3A, Area 11 Tournament championship on Thursday (Feb. 5) at Glencoe.
“I’m proud of our kids and the way we have come together in the second half of the season,” said Westbrook head coach Seth Ford. “We lost a couple of games we felt we should have won midway through the season, but the guys wouldn’t quit. We play as a team without any superstars.”
The game was close throughout the first half until Richards’ scoring barrage in the third quarter.
The first period saw Ohatchee take its only leads of the game at 3-0 and 5-2. From that point on, Westbrook took a 6-5 lead and never looked back.
The first quarter ended with Westbrook holding a 17-13 lead. The Warriors led 28-23 at halftime, although the Indians were keeping the score close in hopes of pulling the upset.
The third quarter saw Richards take over, as the junior forward exploded for 12 of his game-high 20 points as the Warriors went on a 13-0 run to start the second half.
The score was 41-23 before Ohatchee could call a timeout. The third quarter ended with Westbrook holding a 47-30 lead, and the Warriors outscored Ohatchee 14-10 in the final frame to win going away.
Kyle Leonard added 16 points for the Warriors, followed by Jordan Kilgo with 13.
Austin Tucker led Ohatchee with 13 points and Micah Lee added 12.
The Warriors (20-7) will host a subregional playoff game on Monday (Feb. 9) against the loser of Friday’s Piedmont/Weaver game.
“It’s good to play at home, good things happen,” said Ford.