REGION 3-AAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Sherwood stunned by Westfield

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian picked a bad time to come out flat.

The Eagles, playing without one their leading seniors, were pancaked Thursday, 70-46, by Westfield in the semifinals of the GISA Region 3-AAA boys tournament at Darton College.

While most folks were expecting Deerfield-Sherwood III in the finals of the region tourney, Westfield, the No. 3 seed, was running away at the end of the first half.

“We just came out kind of flat in the first half and had to dig ourselves out of a hole,” said first-year Sherwood head coach Gavin Felix, who was without senior Gary Holloway. “We’re definitely a good enough basketball team to win that game with or without certain players.”

Felix said Holloway was held out because of school incidents and his return to the court is questionable at this point.

Westfield, which had lost to Sherwood twice during the regular season, was plain dominant Thursday inside the paint and sharp from outside the perimeter.

Hornets guard Evan Granthan, who scored 25 points, started a 15-0 run with a 3-ball in the second quarter that ended with Westfield (16-9) ahead, 37-19, at the half.

“We wanted to be the more physical team,” Hornets head coach Jake Walls said. “We were the bigger team and we did a good job of (taking advantage).”

Sherwood (20-3), the No. 2 seed from Region 3-AAA, will still be in the state playoffs, either as a No. 3 or 4 seed. The Eagles play the Deerfield-Southland loser Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the third-place consolation game.

“We feel like we can win with the roster that we have,” Felix said. “It’s just a matter of us believing.”

Rashard Davis led Sherwood with 23 points, while Terrance Burnette scored 13. The Hornets got 12 from Wesley Rust and 11 from Wesley Murph.

Westfield, meanwhile, awaits the Southland-Deerfield winner in the Region 3-AAA final.

Who would the Hornets coach prefer?

“I better not say,” said Walls, whose team has been crushed by Deerfield twice already. “We do know, either way, it’s going to be a great challenge. We expect Deerfield to be there. They’ve been great all year and I don’t expect any drop off.”