By Chris McCarthy/Editor
Westbrook Christian led from the opening tip to the final buzzer in a 78-27 Class 2A, Area 13 victory over Gaston last Tuesday (Jan. 10) in Rainbow City.
Six different players scored in the first quarter as the sixth-ranked Warriors (15-5, 4-0) broke out to a 22-8 lead.
Will Jones scored 12 of his 14 points in the second period, while Cullen Stafford added seven to help the hosts take a 46-18 advantage into the half. Westbrook closed out the first half on a 12-0 run.
While the Bulldogs managed only baskets from Davin Wyatt and Tyler Thompson in the third frame, John Hilliard Catanzaro dropped in nine points and Tyler Self scored six as the Warriors rolled to a 70-22 lead after 24 minutes.
Since Westbrook held a 30-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, the officials used a running clock the rest of the way. Stuart Douglas and Hunter Skipper each knocked down a three-point basket for the Warriors down the stretch.
“I was really pleased with how hard our kids played tonight,” said Westbrook head coach Donny Pruitt. “I thought we gave a really good effort. We weren’t playing as hard as I would have liked to start the game, and [Gaston] carved us up pretty good and they got several easy baskets. But we settled in and went to the boards well and took care of the ball.”
Troy Bearden finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Westbrook, while Will Jones contributed 14 points, seven assists and seven steals.
Tyler Self added 12 points and 6 rebounds, while John Catanzaro had nine points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
Cullen Stafford scored seven points, followed by Skipper with six and Caeden Godfrey with five.
Davin Wyatt led Gaston with nine points, while Jakory Scott had seven.
“Will Jones really did a good job for us tonight,” added Pruitt. “He kept his head up, hit the open man, took good shots and played under control. He made some really good decisions out there.”