Westwood teams sweep past Byne Christian

ALBANY — The play often repeated itself in the early minutes of the third quarter.

A steal near midcourt, then an easy layup by Westwood’s Dis’Arrius Robinson or Jonte Harris.

In the season opener for Westwood, the Wildcats pretty much had their way in a 94-49 victory over host Byne Christian Monday night. It was the kind of game Westwood coach Derrick Harris was hoping for to start the 2016-17 season.

“Overall, I thought the guys did a good job in the second half with pressing and defense,” Derrick Harris said. “We’re very excited to see what these guys are going to do. We lost three big starters and we’re trying to re-load instead of rebuild. We had a lot of freshman play some big minutes.”

Byne (0-4) hung around until Westwood started the second half on a 17-3 run over the first 2:49 to extend its lead to 65-30.

Tyler Watts’ basket at the 3:59 mark ended the Wildcats’ run. But the tired Saints were overmatched at that point.

The fourth quarter was played under a running clock.

Westwood used a trap at halfcourt in the first quarter to force turnovers, then the Wildcats built a 29-12 advantage. They pushed it to 48-27 at halftime.

“The defense early put us where we needed to be,” Derrick Harris said. “We tried to give the guys some different looks.”

Robinson finished with 32 points to lead Westwood, while Jonte Harris finished with 25. John Daniels added 23 points, while Derrick Harris, Jr. added nine.

Byne used 18 points from Tanner Watts, while Justin Williams finished with 13.

Westwood girls 81, Byne Christian 7

Westwood built a 38-0 advantage before Byne Christian’s Jayden Edwards scored the Lady Saints’ first point on a free throw. The Lady Wildcats cruised to an easy victory.

Byne gave a valiant effort but was overwhelmed by the defending Georgia Independent Schools Association Class AAA state runner-ups. Hannah Edwards scored a pair of free throws in the first half as Westwood led 67-3.

The Lady Saints scored their first field goal at the 4:48 mark of third quarter on a basket from Natalie Cave. Byne’s other points came from Lydia Clements.

All Westwood players saw action and all but two scored. The Lady Wildcats (2-1) were led by Gracie Pollock’s 16 points. Leann Bentley added 12, while Karlie Jones added 11. Three players — Jensen Jones, Elizabeth Glass abd Brianna Thompson — finished with eight points each.