February 26, 2023

Warriors Looked Strong and Comfortable as They Advance to the Semifinals

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By Francisco Claudio

 

The Westcliff men's basketball team took care of business and looked completely comfortable in their first game of the playoffs.

The Warriors took on Simpson University and will advance to the semifinals with a final score of 71-57.
 
If the Warriors were feeling any nerves because of the atmosphere, you couldn't tell because they looked like the team that belonged the whole time.
 
Westcliff started down 5-0 after missing some early shots but quickly got on the board with a jump shot from Cap Uzan.
 
Both teams went back and forth as neither team could get any separation with the biggest lead coming from the Warriors, 13-10.
 
In games like these, if a team is able to get successful stops back-to-back and score, it can change the momentum of the game in their favor.
 
And that's what the Warriors did as they were able to break away from the current pattern after a three-pointer from Josh Harrison to put them up 23-18.
 
This was part of a 9-0 from the Warriors that became crucial in giving them the advantage for the rest of the game.
 
As the first half ended Westcliff found themselves up nine points, 33-24.
 
Josh Jones started the second half with a jump shot to extend the lead into double digits.
 
But the Redhawks weren't going down without a fight and provided some resistance early on in the second half.
 
After a couple of minutes without being able to score, the Warriors saw their lead shrink to four points. 
 
But Abdul Abdullah wasn't going to let it get lower as his made layup sparked another mini-run for the Warriors. 
 
With 10 minutes left to play, Westcliff began to take the momentum of the game again with some good defensive stops and shot selections.
 
A layup from Micaiah Hankins gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the game 57-45, with five minutes of regulation.
 
The momentum was all for the Warriors which was huge with only a couple of minutes left in the ball game.
 
Another layup from Hankins extended the lead to 14 points and you got the feeling that Westcliff was going to be able to stay on top until the end. 
 
And that's exactly what this hungry and motivated team did as they took one step towards their goal and are now heading into the semifinals.
 
There were a lot of great performances as Harrison scored a team-high 16 points, with four rebounds, and four assists.
 
Abdullah had 13 points and three rebounds in 22 minutes played.
 
Off the bench, Hankins contributed with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
 
The team shot 47.5% from the field, 30.8% from threes, and 56% from the free throw line.
 
The Warriors were passing the ball well as they had 19 assists with nine of them coming from Uzan.
 
Westcliff will now get a day to rest and recover before they play against Saint Katherine on Monday, Feb. 27, with the tip-off at 7:30 PM PST.
 
But the Warriors showed something in this game. They are hungry and embrace the big moments and most importantly, believe that they will be the last team standing at the end.