FERRERO 13 POINTS; SHEEHAN 9 POINTS, 3 BLOCKS
Three impressive wins by the Westfield High School boys basketball team were followed by another in the Union County Tournament (UCT) that began with a 64-26 thumping of the 18th-seeded Roselle Rams in the preliminary round in Westfield on February 6. The 12-10 Blue Devils got their entire roster in on the action against the Rams.
The Blue Devils warmed up for the UCT with a 54-45 win over Union, followed up with an unbelievable 83–54 crushing of the North Brunswick Raiders then rocked a strong 14-6 Monroe team, 51-37. The game was essentially over by halftime in the North Brunswick outing as the Blue Devils pumped in an amazing 70 points, while the 13-9 Raiders scored only 15.
“North Brunswick was a fun game to be a part of,” Blue Devil Head Coach Jim McKeon expressed. “We played extremely well as a team, shared the basketball and everyone was able to contribute. We had 12 steals and 17 assists in the first half. We also made 12 3-points in the first half, resulting in a 70-15 halftime score. I have not been a part of a first half like that before, it was fun to watch. Tribute to our guys sharing the ball and playing very physical for their teammates.”
In that game, the Blue Devils nailed 15 3-pointers and dished out 21 assists. Shane Sheehan and Enzo Ferrero scored 15 points, including trip 3pointers, while Max MacEacheron netted 14 points, including four 3pointers. Jake Russell led the team with six assists and four steals, while scoring nine points, including a 3pointer. Ty’shawn Pearson put up nine points and Aidan Wall sank eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. With such a huge lead, the entire roster got involved in the action.
The Monroe game had Sheehan recording another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Pearson and Will Kirby each sank 10 points. Ferrero was big across the board with nine points (2 3-pointers), eight rebounds, two steals and a team-leading seven assists. Zach Epp dished out four assists, pulled five boards and added four points as did Connor Whelan.
“Monroe was also an awesome win for us. They are a 15-win team and held the 3 spot in their counties. It was a nice test for us to see where we are at this point in the season,” Coach McKeon said.
The UCT game against the Roselle Rams was much like the North Bunswick massacre in that the Blue Devils seized a 46-8 lead at the half. Sheehan, who finished with nine points, sank a 3-pointer and a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter. Epp (7 points, 3 assists) sank three free throws. Ferrero, who led the team with 13 points (trip 3pointers) scored seven points. Russell (3 assists, 3 steals) scored all five of his points, while Whelan (5 points), Pearson and Kirby (6 points) each put in two points. JD Pierre scored all four of Roselle’s points.
The second quarter had Kirby and Farid Habayeb (6 points) each hitting four points, Ferrero sinking his second 3-pointer and Whelan netting three points, while Sheehan, Pearson (4 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds) and MacEacheron (5 points) put in two points. The Rams’ first points of the quarter came with 1:58 left when Felipe Mendez sank a pair of free throws. James Moody added a lay-up.
By game’s end, Sheehan would finish with three blocks, three assists, seven rebounds and two steals. Ferrero finished with two assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal. Ethan Zhu had four points and a steal, and Jonny Sica had an assist and a steal.
“We have won seven out of the last nine and we are now a winning basketball team, which is very impressive if you look at our conference and our overall schedule,” Coach McKeon pointed out. “Again, the reason we have been playing better is that we are playing as a team and our assists totals have risen and been consistent. Against Monroe we had 10 assists and followed it up against Roselle with 19. We have only played four teams this year with a losing record.”
