STRONG SECOND HALF GIVES WARRIORS FIRST WIN

As fall sports come to an end and the weather gets colder, we turn our attention to indoor sports and the start of the winter session.

Last Saturday, Westcliff men's basketball team traveled to Chapman University where they got an early season win, 85-66. 

Starting off strong is important for a team's confidence individually and as a whole. They say that you can't win a championship at the beginning of the season, but you can surely find yourself out of the running for it. 

And this Westcliff men's basketball team is looking to make big strides this season, and getting these early wins can build momentum that leads to something greater.

Head coach Jerred Cook feels the same. "Our team is still in its very early stages of how good we can truly be."

The game itself was a story of two halves.

Early on, neither team could pull away for more than 4 points. It wasn't until the 2:23 mark that Westcliff found themselves up 40-31. 

This 9-0 run by the team came after some really good defense causing two turnovers and a quick timeout by Chapman.

Chapman University finished the half on a 9-2 run of their own that saw the half-time score at 42-40, for Westcliff.

Then a different beast came out of the locker room for Westcliff to play the second half.

"Buy in from the players locking into their defensive scout and then making the extra effort plays to get it done defensively and with every 50-50 opportunity," Cook said.

Westcliff outscored Chapman 43-26 in the second half. 

But a team doesn't just outscore their opponent by 17, without both sides of the court clicking and working together in unison.

The offense has to be there too, and it was because the Warriors were able to be efficient with their shooting.

The Warriors finished the game shooting 61.5% overall, with 18 assists. 

"Offensively, we made small tweaks to be able to attack their zone effectively and were able to convert in transition," Cook said. 

Overall this was a great first win of the season for the Westcliff men's basketball team. 

"Great overall team win. There was a huge emphasis on celebrating each other's success for the betterment of the team and it showed in our first win of the season," Cook said.

A balanced effort from everyone involved, and even though it's the second game of the season, it's a good place to start building good habits.

"We had a total of 8 guys score at least 6 points. Strong games from Abdul , Josh Harrison, Olisa , Josh Jones . Cedric sobers with 4 assists and Micaiah with steady play," Cook said.

And it's these types of performances, individually and as a team, that can carry the Warriors far to reach their goals.