Looking for its first win of the year, the Westbrook girls basketball team attacked the basket and crashed the offensive boards on Monday night as it hosted Portland. Unfortunately for the Blue Blazes, too many of the resulting free throws and second- and third-chance shots didn’t find the bottom of the net.
Westbrook made 15 of 32 foul shots while the Bulldogs were 20 for 23 from the line as Portland held on for a 55-46 win to improve to 2-3. The Blazes dropped to 0-5.
Portland’s Mariah Callender led a charge that allowed the Bulldogs to stake an early 16-5 lead using their full-court press. It was 16-9 after the first quarter, as Callender scored 10 of her game-high 19 points in the first eight minutes. She was able to drive to the basket to draw contact, making six of her eight first-quarter free throws.
The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 14 at 33-19 just before the half when Floreka Malual scored a fast-break layup with seconds to go. Callender scored seven points in the opening 2:10 of the second half as Portland extended its lead to 48-30 after three quarters. Nyachuol Biliew added six points in the third quarter and finished with 13 for the Bulldogs.
The Blazes had five players score in the fourth quarter, when they outscored Portland 16-7. In the final 20 seconds of the game, Vanessa Bradbury knocked down a 3-pointer and Jamie Levecque made a layup to get within single digits.
Bradbury, Katelyn Benson and Stephanie Wagner – all underclassmen – scored 11 points apiece for Westbrook. Benson, a sophomore, showed a knack for getting to the free throw line as she drove strongly to the hoop and battled for rebounds on the offensive glass. She made nine of her 18 free-throw attempts.
Wagner, a junior, was also a force on the offensive boards, outworking Portland players throughout the night for putback opportunities. Bradbury, a sophomore, made a pair of 3s in the game.
Senior Emily Wight came off the bench for Westbrook. The veteran guard returned to action after missing the early part of the season with a knee injury. Her return should bolster the Blazes’ backcourt.
The Blazes resume SMAA play on Saturday, as they travel to Massabesic for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the 3-1 Mustangs. Next Tuesday, they’ll play against former coach Mike Murphy and his undefeated Deering Rams at 7 p.m. in Portland.
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