By Matt Noonan
WESTWOOD, MA – Earlier this season, Medway handed Westwood a four-point loss.
On Friday, the Wolverines responded by gifting the visiting Mustangs a 49-46 loss, which marked Westwood’s seventh victory of the season, as well as their seventh Tri-Valley League conference win, too.
“I think, Westwood wasn’t fully prepared [back in December], and I think we came out flat [on Friday],” said Medway’s junior guard Matt Ozzella. “I guess we didn’t come to play.”
“[This win] is huge for the team and the program,” said Westwood head coach Steven St. Martin. “Guys kept fighting through, and it was funny, one of my captains in their at the end, when [we talked] in the locker room, he said, ‘at the beginning of the year, we wouldn’t have won this game, and now we have,’ and that’s that part of the process, [which is] you’re trying to keep getting better.”
Medway’s senior co-captain Pat Sheehan got things going with a quick basket before Westwood’s junior Joe Lally and senior Eric Tanery answered with back-to-back trifectas to give the Wolverines an early lead.
The Mustangs eventually erased their opponent’s four-point cushion with two three-pointers by Sheehan, who helped Medway secure a somewhat comfortable 15-11 advantage after eight minutes.
The Wolverines fought relentlessly in the second quarter, as they managed to secure numerous rebounds, mainly on the defensive end, which eventually set up Lally to race down the court, and end the half with a layup that cut the deficit to 26-21.
However, the second half belonged to Westwood, who outscored Medway, 28-20.
Senior Glenn Parsons sparked Westwood’s offense by registering nine points in the third frame, which included two three-pointers that helped the Wolverines tie the game, and set up a dramatic fourth quarter.
“He was shooting well, he was shooting well tonight,” said Medway head coach Jay Rojee, when asked to describe the play of Parsons.
“[He’s] coming up clutch, he had some clutch hoops the other night,” said St. Martin.
Ozzella retained the Mustangs lead with a jump shot and two free throws during the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Wolverines answered with a Lally jump shot, and a two-pointer by senior Mike Keane in the paint to tie the game at 44-44.
Junior Wes Jursek then sank two critical free throws with less than two minutes remaining, but unfortunately, those two points didn’t frazzle the Wolverines offense, as Tanery knocked down a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, which electrified the home crowd.
Parsons then solidified the win when a two-point jump shot during the final seconds before Sheehan attempted a three-pointer from roughly half court, which bounced in and out of the basket.
“I’m still in shock that [Sheehan’s shot] didn’t go in,” said Rojee. “They played a great game. Give them credit, they hit some big shots down the stretch, and it’s a big three-pointer when we were up two with 40 seconds left, so hats off to Westwood, they played hard.”
Westwood will return to the hardwood on Tuesday when they host Bellingham, while Medway will look to snap their current two-game losing streak against Ashland at home. Both contests are slated for 6:30pm.
