Sports
Westwood Boys Fall in Tourney Final
Westwood's fourth-quarter breakdown gave the edge to King Philip in the championship Monday night.
Westwood High School's varsity boys basketball team was just one quarter away from closing out their season with the championship of the first annual Westwood Invitational tournament.
Instead, the Wolverines were outscored 22-4 in the final period by an oversized King Philip team, which ultimately took the crown, 58-41.
King Philip was headed by 6-foot, 8-inch junior Jake Layman, who finished with 19 points in the finals and took tournament MVP honors.
Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Wolverines certainly hadn’t seen a player of his stature or caliber in quite some time, and head coach Steve St. Martin talked about the struggles his team faced.
“The hardest part is not letting (his height) rattle you," St. Martin said. "You have to get over the fact that he’s a good player and he’s going to score and dunk, but the problem is though if you are not exposed to those type of players all the time, you’re going to get rattled.”
Find out what's happening in Westwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
King Philip led the Wolverines at the half 27-21, but Westwood battled back to take its first lead of the game late in the third quarter on a Steve Jarva three-pointer.
The lead was short-lived for St. Martin’s club, as the Warriors managed 21 straight fourth-quarter points, including nine from behind the arc.
“We rotated well on defense for three quarters and then we stopped," St. Martin said. "Offensively, we attacked but then we stopped, and that’s the microcosm of our season. In the third quarter, we hit some big shots and made a run and played like Westwood is supposed to play, we just have to put it together and be consistent.”
Jarva was named a tournament All-Star, scoring six points in the finals as well as six points in the 65-18 first-round rout against Marian on Sunday, which earned the Wolverines a trip to the finals on Monday. King Philip also defeated Norwood on Sunday, earning them their spot against Westwood.
Juniors Glenn Parsons and Mike Keane, who led the Wolverines over Marian on Sunday with 16 and 10 points, respectively, each scored just five on Monday. Joe Lally stayed consistent, scoring eight points on Sunday and 10 on Monday.
With the loss, Westwood wraps up the season with a 5-13 conference record and 6-14 overall.
