Warriors Finding Their Groove at the Right Time

Westcliff men's basketball team visited Benedictine Mesa in another conference battle, last Friday evening.

The Warriors were eager to get some playing time since their previous game the night before was canceled due to a power outage.

Focused and motivated the Warriors got an important win over the Redhawks, 75-65.

Head Coach Jerred Cook shared his thoughts: "Our team has been through so much adversity, our team was able to take this extremely rare situation right on the chin. Thursday was filled with so many emotions as our team was ready to play but was never able to even put on a jersey."

"Once we woke up on Friday, it was time to turn the page and shift our focus onto the next opponent."

Westcliff got off to a quick start with some easy layups and aggressive plays in the paint.

The good start proved to be significant as they were able to use that momentum throughout the first half and maintain the lead.

The Warriors went up as much as 11 points before the Redhawks made a couple of mini runs.

At the end of the half Westcliff had a single-digit lead, 37-32.

"It was a total team effort from start to finish with a heavy emphasis on getting the type of shots we wanted on every possession offensively overall placing more value on not turning the basketball over," said Cook.

In the second half, the Warriors got off to a good start scoring the first couple of points which gave them the momentum of the game.

They never looked back or took their foot off the gas pedal.

Abdul Abdullah had a big game and recorded a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds. He shot 67% from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line.

Gary Harris had a good performance with 16 points, four rebounds, and a steal. He also shot the ball well at 63%.

The Warriors were also helped out by having a low turnover game with only nine compared to 14 by the Red hawks.

"Defensively we set goals, created, and executed our game plan to try to limit their high-powered offense," said Cook.

Up next Westcliff will have their sights on Sunday's game against Embry-Riddle as each win is important in their efforts to move up the conference standings.

Westcliff sits in the fifth spot with an overall record of (6-5) and a conference record of (5-3).

"I expect our team to be ready to play, embrace the opportunity to overcome more adversity in the elevation, and earn one more road victory," said Cook.

"The team knows what's at stake, we just want to put ourselves in the best position to win the Cal Pac Championship."

The game will take place on Sunday, Jan. 15, with a tip-off at 3 PM.