Season begins for Westfield girls

mbrown@sunmulti.com

Replacing all but one starter from a GISA AAA runner-up squad, Cass Cassell took the Westfield girls basketball team of 2012-13 to Startford Academy for the annual tip-off tournament in the days before Thanksgiving.

Facing a team that did win it all back in February, the defending Class A champion Crisp Academy Wildcats, the season did not get off to a great start with a 44-36 loss.

Though Ellen Grier, Jeannia Rust, Maggie Hammerle and Caroline Amos are gone, Cassell is using those who came off the bench as starters this year along with senior forward Valerie McLure. The other new starting forward, Sydney Ledford, had 12 points in the opening game.

Katie Moseley scored the first Lady Hornet basket on a short jumper more than three minutes into action. Westfield was down 14-4 after the first period.

In the second, Cassell’s club pulled within five, 19-14, with a spark off the bench from Chelsea Whaley. But with a critical turnover, Crisp nailed a 3 at the halftime buzzer.

McKinley Walton sank a 3 in the third quarter, which ended at 35-23. Two times in the fourth McLure and Ledford executed the high-low play while Walton scored four more. But Westfield could only pull as close as seven. 

Find more photos from the game in our Photo Gallery.

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