Westview girls basketball coming into form in December. Can it 3-peat in March?
Three gold banners hang in the rafters in “Charger Nation.” as the Westview locals call it. Two of those banners hang right next to each other.
The banners read “State Champions" in honor of girls basketball teams of the past. The 2022 banner shows the Chargers’ 31-2 record and the 2023 banner shows a 33-1 record. The other banner? It came in 1996 with a mark of 35-1.
But it's those back-to-back championships that underscore Westview's march this season, vying to become to the first three-peat girls basketball champion in Class 2A (formerly Class AA) since Jackson County won four straight from 2000-03.
“We just have to block out what everybody’s saying,” said senior guard Kylee Alexander. “We just have to do what we do in practice every day – practice hard and we just can’t listen to it.”
McCall Sims, who recently scored her 1,000th point at Westview, has gotten good at blocking out the noise, too.
“There’s always something to work on,” she said. “Just knowing that we’ve got to get better in certain areas and blocking the outside noise – that’s what we do.”
District play doesn’t begin for the Chargers (11-1) until Jan. 9, but they’ll be tested with road games against Huntingdon and Dyer County this week. Westview’s first district game is at home Jan. 9 against Milan.
As the calendar turns to 2024, here’s how Westview stacks up in its title defense.
Westview's strength: Scoring
Even with the strong scoring from Sims, one of West Tennessee's prolific scorers throughout her career, Chargers coach Brian Haskins thought the production might be lower this season.
He’s been pleasantly surprised. The Chargers are averaging 52.3 points following their 43-22 win over Humboldt on Friday in their hosted Dynamix Christmas Classic. While it’s outside the top-20 average across the state, utilizing key shot-making and turnovers have aided in a big way for the Chargers.
“We’re probably scoring a bit more than what we did last year,” Haskins said. “It’s a tribute to them – they moved the ball well, and they can make open shots. If you leave them open, they're going to make it and when you got kids that make shots, it makes offense a little bit easier to run.”
The Chargers rely heavily on their four-out set, which leaves four shooters on the 3-point line and one forward in the post — junior Alexis Evans, who can step out and shoot 3-pointers, too.
Westview defense has room to grow
Both of Westview’s leading guards know their interior defense needs refinement – especially in the high post, which “makes a difference in the game,” Alexander said.
The Chargers have the area near the basket covered with a 2-3 zone. Rebounding is a key asset coupled with the Chargers’ extra effort to fight for every loose ball.
More: Jackson area high school basketball top performers for Week 6 of the 2023-24 season
Westview is allowing 35.1 points per game, just outside the top 20 outside the state. The Chargers’ one loss was a 43-39 defensive slugfest against a strong South Gibson squad.
“We’re pleased for (where we’re) at thus far in the season,” Haskins said. “We’ve got another level we can get to. I do think we’re capable of being better in a couple months or a month from now. Hopefully we are.”
Chargers' depth developing
Haskins hasn’t been able to empty his bench often this season, but the Dynamix Christmas Classic was a prime opportunity to get younger players game reps.
The young reserves ran into some struggles against Humboldt – only scoring eight points in the second half. But most of Westview's games, including the United Bank Invitational Tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, have resulted in mostly comfortable wins.
The adage is strong guard play and depth is the key to success for basketball teams in the postseason. The Chargers have found the right recipe for success the past two years. Getting more players in games is part of that recipe.
“We have the confidence, we’re capable, but there’s still work to be done,” Sims said. “(Coach Haskins) says all the time, ‘Winning in December doesn’t matter.’ We just have to go win in February and March.”
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: TSSAA girls basketball: Westview playing well; can Chargers 3-peat?
