Westfield vs. Zionsville was going as expected — close. Then the Shamrocks blew it open.
WESTFIELD – It took a lopsided third quarter to turn Friday’s Zionsville-Westfield clash into an atypical result.
The host Shamrocks outscored Zionsville, 26-7, in the third to break open a two-point game at halftime and roll to a 59-40 victory.
The Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals have met six times in the previous four seasons with three of those games going to overtime (two to double-overtime) and a fourth decided by one point.
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This time, however, coach Shane Sumpter’s Shamrocks scored the first 17 points of the third quarter to surge from a 22-20 advantage at the break.
“This was a very unusual score when Westfield and Zionsville play,” Sumpter said. “It was a two-point game at halftime and that’s what we expected.”
Sumpter chalked his team’s third-quarter surge to its effort on the defensive end.
“That is the best quarter of defense we’ve played, so far,” Sumpter said of his team, now 3-0 overall and 1-0 in HCC play. “Sure, we made some plays on the offensive end, but we were able to generate stops on defense and build a lead.”
Durante Morton and Trey Buchanan combined to score Westfield’s first 10 points of the third (six by Morton) before 6-2 senior Charles Farrell ended the run with a steal and dunk with 2:30 remaining in the quarter.
During that stretch, Zionsville’s high-scorer, Maguire Mitchell, didn’t get a shot off. He had 13 points in the first half.
“(Farrell) guarded (Mitchell), but it was team effort because (Mitchell) is a heck of a player,” Sumpter said. “Our defensive rotations were better, we kept them out of the lane and we were up on their shooters.”
Nic Book scored the final four points of the third quarter to give the Shamrocks a 48-29. Westfield led by as many as 23 points during the final eight minutes.
“To only give up 22 points in the first half, then (26) in the third … that was the game,” Zionsville coach J.R. Howell said. “They took away Mitchell from us and we’re going to have to find better ways to get him open.”
Mitchell did finish with a game-high 22 points after a 29-point performance in the team’s only previous game Nov. 21 — a victory over Carmel.
The seventh-ranked Shamrocks, meanwhile, placed five players in double figures, led by Book as he shook off early foul trouble to finish with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Farrell and Will Harvey each added 11 points and Buchanan and Morton each netted 10 points.
“Our goal is to be better each day,” Sumpter said. “We’re happy with where we’re at right now. We came out and played hard and with confidence and enthusiasm, but we still have to get better.”
WESTFIELD 59, ZIONSVILLE 40
ZIONSVILLE: Eugene Hilton 2 1-1 6; Quincy Ferguson 1 0-0 3; Drew Snively 3 2-4 9; Maguire Mitchell 9 2-4 22; Will Allen 0 0-1 0; L.J. Killinger 0 0-3 0; Jackson Tielker 0 0-0 0; Luke Reasoner 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 15 5-13 40.
WESTFIELD: Charles Farrell 5 0-0 11; Trey Buchanan 4 0-0 10; Durante Morton 3 4-4 10; Nic Book 6 0-2 12; Drew Haffner 1 0-0 3; Will Harvey 4 0-0 11; Carsen Melvin 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 23 6-8 59.
Zionsville 7 13 7 13 – 40
Westfield 10 12 26 11 – 59
3-point baskets: Zionsville 4 (Hilton, Ferguson, Snively, Mitchell 2), Westfield 7 (Buchanan 2, Farrell, Haffner, Harvey 3). Total fouls: Zionsville 14, Westfield 15. Records: Zionsville 1-1 overall, 0-1 HCC; Westfield 3-0, 1-0.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school boys basketball; Westfield surges past Zionsville
