Westfield basketball sweeps Southland Academy for big early season wins 

PERRY – Hayden Hardy scored 27 points as the Westfield Hornets defeated the Southland Academy Raiders 63-46 to pick up their first win of the season on Friday. 

Westfield (1-2) came out hot at the start of the game – draining 3-point shots, guarding the rim and crashing the glass on both ends. The Hornets never let up and kept moving the ball until the end of the game. 

Southland Academy (5-3) kept up with Westfield in every aspect of the game until they ran out of gas in the third quarter as their offense struggled to make shots and could not protect the rim. 

Key Moment

Hudson Hodge found Cannon Allen for a full court assist in transition for a layup as the Hornets started to pull away in the third quarter. That play sent the crowd into a frenzy and forced Southland Academy to call a timeout to regroup. 

Westfield boys head coach Brett Hardy spoke highly of his team after the game: “Intensity wise, we played real hard from start to finish. [Southland] made a run throughout the game a couple of times. In the past, we have let our immaturity get us down and spiral out of control; tonight, we responded.” 

“We have a lot of leadership, a lot of guys that have been battle-tested and have played a lot of minutes,” Hardy added. “I was proud of the way we stuck in this game, kept fighting, and kept playing the game we needed to play.” 

Lady Hornets 48, Lady Raiders 32

Mary Blake Brannen led the way for the Lady Hornets as they defeated the Lady Raiders 48-32 in their non-region matchup on Friday night. 

Brannen finished the night with 16 points and numerous rebounds on both ends of the floor. 

Westfield (1-3) had a slow start to begin the game, but once they were able to establish a rhythm on both sides of the court, the Lady Hornets could not be stopped. 

Southland Academy (4-3) played a physical game, shutting Westfield down in the first quarter. The Lady Raiders showed signs of weariness in the second quarter as they started missing assignments and shots. 

Key Moment 

In the second quarter, the Lady Hornets employed a trapping defense against the Lady Raiders, which resulted in several turnovers and gave Westfield a lead that was never relinquished. 

Westfield girls head coach Mason Nelson was encouraged with the results of the game: “We knew this was going to be a scrappy game. [Southland] is always a good coached team with two good coaches. It is always a fun environment when they come to town because it is a rivalry game.” 

“We knew this was going to be a game that could have gone either way due to our relationship with them,” Nelson added. “I am both excited and proud with how well the girls played tonight.” 

UP NEXT 

Westfield will play at home against First Presbyterian Day on December 10. The varsity girls will tip off at 6:00 p.m. followed by the varsity boys at 7:30 p.m.