Girls basketball: Westlake uses its speed to end Newbury Park's winning streak at 20 games
The much-anticipated battle may have been in the paint.
But the Marmonte League girls basketball showdown was decided in the open floor.
Guards Devin Feiereisen and Taylor Swanson raced out in transition in the second half as the Westlake High girls basketball team snapped host Newbury Park’s 20-game winning streak, 63-48, on Tuesday night.
“There was some beautiful full-court passes, started by our defense into transition,” Westlake coach Josh Budde said. “Devin was on the receiving end of some of those.”
Feiereisen scored 19 points and Swanson finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists as Westlake (11-6) improved to 4-0 in the Marmonte League.
Greta Heath scored 13 points and Skyler Komatsu had 11 points to lead Newbury Park (20-2, 3-1).
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The showdown of the Marmonte League’s two unbeaten girls basketball teams revolved around two of the most productive players in Ventura County.
Westlake’s 6-foot-2 sophomore Mathis Dritz and Newbury Park’s 5-foot-11 junior Kierabella Coletta-Todd entered play first and second in the county in both scoring and rebounding.
“She’s a good player,” Dritz said of Coletta-Todd. “It was definitely a rebounding fight with her on both ends.”
For much of the first half, the two stars cancelled each other out offensively. Coletta-Todd had a team-high nine points as Newbury Park built a 31-28 lead in the final minute of the first half.
But Dritz, held to just six of her 17 points in the first half, sparked a 11-0 Westlake run which bridged halftime with her transition passing.
“When my shot’s not falling, I have to look for other things,” said Dritz, who finished with 17 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists. “I was definitely looking for my teammates tonight. They were running down the floor for me, making it easy for me to get passes to them.”
Meanwhile, Coletta-Todd picked up her third and fourth fouls a minute apart during the Westlake run, limiting Newbury Park’s ability to answer with four minutes left in the third quarter.
“We depend on her so much for rebounding,” Newbury Park coach Darren Burge said. “This is a good one to learn from.”
Junior Kai Mekari provided a lift off the bench, helping the Panthers close to within 45-40 after three quarters.
But Westlake pulled away in transition in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously we don’t want to be in a one-point game at halftime, but … this is not the same Newbury (Park) team from the last couple years,” Budde said. “They won 20 games in a row for a reason. I’m sure the rematch will be just as fun.”
Newbury Park, which hosts rival Thousand Oaks on Friday, will visit Westlake on Jan. 30. The Warriors host rival Oaks Christian on Friday.
Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Girls basketball: Westlake ends Newbury Park's winning streak at 20
