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Patriots Capture Improbable Regional Title, 50-45
 ESCANABA----The improbable playoff run continues for the Westwood Patriots. The boys won a Class C regional championship on Wednesday, beating the Norway Knights, 50-45, at the Escanaba High School Gym. Not bad for a team that finished the regular season with an 8-12 record, and for a team that finished fifth in the Mid Peninsula Conference. "I couldn't be more proud of our guys tonight," Westwood Coach Chad Hewitt told WJMN-Local Three News. "They work hard every day in practice. Our season was a season of ups and downs. You win some games you shouldn't, you lose some games you shouldn't. But they came to practice every day and they did the little things right." "I said 'don't let this be our last one'," Westwood senior Ryan Stanaway told WJMN-Local Three News. "Go out there and play hard. Have fun while you do it." The Patriots certainly had fun early in the game against the Knights, who were also an unexpected regional finalist, with an 11-9 regular season record and a fourth place finish in the Mid Pen. Westwood controlled the first half, using a 9-0 run to take a 22-7 lead. But Norway finished the second quarter with a 9-0 run of its own, closing to within 22-16 at halftime. But try as they might, the Knights couldn't grab the momentum...or the lead. "I feel amazing," Patriots guard Connor Hanlon told WJMN-Local Three News. "It feels nice when a family comes together and just wins it for the community. We were successful because we got out there on the defensive end. All game long. We got out there and fought hard and our defense created our offense for us." Stanaway scored 23 points to lead the Patriots, who improved to 12-12 on the season. Bryce Grayvold led Norway (14-10) with 17 points. Westwood has a monster challenge ahead of it next Tuesday in the state quarterfinal game against McBain. The Ramblers are a perfect 25-0 on the season. The game will be played in Petoskey, with tip-off Tuesday set for 7:00. Click the audio thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to listen to post-game interviews conducted by WJMN-Local Three News. |
