Westwood girls’ title hopes dashed again in Class 4A Upper State finals
The Bon Secours Wellness Arena continues to be a house of horrors for the Westwood High girls basketball team.
For the third straight year, the Redhawks’ season ended at the Greenville arena with a loss in the Class 4A Upper State championship. Westwood lost 65-56 to South Pointe, which rode a strong second quarter Friday night.
The Stallions advance to next weekend’s state title game and will play North Augusta in a rematch of last year’s championship.
Westwood’s ended its season with a school-record 25 wins. It was ranked No. 1 in the S.C. coaches poll heading into the playoffs. The Redhawks have won 72 games and three region titles over the past three years but fell one game short of the championship each time.
“Not the outcome we wanted tonight but certainly proud of our program, players and kids,” Westwood coach Gregory Bauldrick, who sported a camouflage suit for the state semifinal game, said. “They have given it their all. They certainly deserved more. Tonight, just wasn’t our night.
“I still think the program is in good shape. We got a good young group and look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Bauldrick had hoped this was going to be the year the team finally got over the hump and made it to the title game. He and the team weren’t afraid of talking about and embracing those expectations.
Friday’s game was the third time the teams have met this season and sixth time in the past two years. South Pointe is 4-2 in those games, including wins in the Upper State championship the past two seasons.
South Pointe shuts down Westwood’s inside game
Westwood jumped out to a 14-10 lead in the second quarter behind a pair of 3-pointers from Malayziah Etheredge and Ja’Mari Frederick, who combined to go 7-of-12 from 3-point range.
But the Stallions answered with an 18-1 run and led 28-15 with 3:34 left in the second quarter.
The Redhawks didn’t get South Pointe’s lead under double figures until there was less than a minute left.
Trinity Adams had 18 points to lead South Pointe and Trinity Adams had 17.
Etheredge led the Redhawks with a career-high 24. points and Frederick had 10. But the Stallions did a good job shutting down Westwood’s inside game and held Nyah Leveretter to nine points. Bauldrick thought his team settled for too many shots from the outside.
“We got off to a good start but then went into a lull and dug ourselves a hole. We didn’t get back in transition and didn’t communicate on defense,” Bauldrick said. “They had that spurt in the second quarter where they totally outplayed us and we weren’t able to respond to it.”
W: Malayziah Etheredge 24, Ja’Mari Frederick 10, Leveretter 9, Woods 6, Mines 3, McCant 2, Wade 2. SP: Trinity Adama 18, Randi Neal 17, Blake 9, Gaiten 9, Lane 8, Jamerson 4
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 8:52 PM.
