Scecina vs Westfield- Varsity Hoopers

Both Varsity teams displayed the skills needed to be contenders in the 2025-2026 season. Westfield is a team that gelled together in every facet of the game. Scecina is a team that hustles and fights its opponents in every phase of the game.    Jaylin has improved his overall game since I watched him a couple of summers ago. When he was in the eighth grade, he exclusively scored in the paint, dunked and blocked shots. After watching him play Wednesday evening, I can now say he's the complete package. Jaylin has a great handle of the basketball. During the game, he easily beat opponents to the basket for high percentage scores. He continues to use a variety of post moves to score around the rim. A large amount of his points came inside the paint after grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on put-backs. Jaylin also showed the capability to knock down mid-range jump-shots. I can definitely see the growth in his game. Jaylin plays the game like a guard/forward as compared to having the skill set of a center a few seasons ago. His athleticism allowed him to defend at a high level. Jaylin maintains his skills as an excellent shot-blocker and rebounder. He also showed the ability to defend players in the paint or on the wing. Jaylin has the ability to have a monster season this year.     Ian is a shifty point guard who has the capability of being a scorer or facilitator. In Wednesday's match-up against Westfield, he made an instant impact when he came off the bench. The play of Ian energized his teammates. Especially, when he knocked in a long three. He got fired up which prompted the crowd and other Scecina players to do the same. Ian is a play-maker! Most of the passes he dished out led to positive outcomes for the team. He showed great leadership skills by running precise plays and being a vocal leader on the court. In some instances, Ian attacked the paint and finished with tough lay-ups at the basket. He showed a fire to compete at every facet of the game. No matter what obstacles stood in front of him, Ian finished the game strong. He made multiple threes and played great defense which led to numerous steals throughout the game. In my opinion, Ian is the sixth man who is skilled enough to be a full-time starter.     Bryce is a play-making combo guard who is more scorer than facilitator. He has the skills to get his teammates involved with pin-point passes but I viewed him more as a pure scorer. Bryce excels at getting to the basket and making acrobatic lay-ups. He's great at scoring with either hand. Whenever he needed to beat a defender going right, he did so. The same applied whenever he attacked the defense going to his left. Bryce has a nice pull-up game from the mid-range area of the court. I watched him knock down these shots regularly throughout the game. He excelled at creating the space he needed to shoot over opposing defenders. Defensively, he forced three steals by shooting the pass lanes and intercepting careless passes thrown by Westfield players. Bryce is a great scoring guard who is capable of filling up the stat sheet.     Moritz is an excellent rebounder who dominated the glass on both ends of the court. He led his team in rebounding throughout the duration of the game. The big man used his physicality to be effective in the paint. He showed a variety of post moves to score around the basket. Moritz was great at grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring put-backs at the rim. He's a excellent team player who did all the little things to help his team win. Moritz set screens, took charges and chased down loose balls. On defense, he was a strong presence in the paint. He blocked four shots and made scoring difficult for opposing players. In some instances he guarded smaller players on the wing. Moritz held his own by not allowing himself to get beaten off the dribble. He is an excellent defender who will only get better as time goes on.     After watching Drew play, I determined he was the designated shooter for Westfield. His teammates always looked to get him going offensively. They excelled at setting screens and running plays that allowed him to get open looks at the basket. I watched him knock down six threes in four quarters of play. Shooting was not his only means of scoring. Drew has a great handle of the basketball. This allowed him to create off the dribble and make plays. Whether it was finishing tough lay-ups in the paint or knocking down perimeter shots, Drew always stayed in "attack mode." Drew was the best scorer on the court Wednesday night. Where he really impressed me was on defense. He showed quick hands and good lateral movement. I saw him steal the ball from opposing guards with great on-ball defense. Drew has a skill that will follow him into the college ranks. The ability to knock down shots.     Brock is an aggressive combo guard who is skilled enough to play as the team's scorer or primary facilitator. He's a great ball handler who often attacked the paint and made plays for his team. The majority of his success came by winning the one-on-one match-ups he had in front of him. Whenever Brock beat his opponents off the dribble, he scored in the paint or dished out assists to his teammates. He showed the ability to knock down short perimeter shots. Brock made a couple of threes by using hesitation dribble moves to free himself. This allowed him to have good looks at the basket. He's a excellent perimeter defender who forced multiple turnovers throughout the game. Brock is a talented guard who has a chance to be great in the near future.     The big man was the most dominant player in the paint Wednesday evening. Luke easily dominated his opponents with excellent post moves and great footwork. He moved around flawlessly within the Westfield offense. If the team needed inside scoring, Luke did it with a variety of moves. He was highly effective scoring with hook-shots, drop-step moves and offensive put-backs around the basket. In some instances, the big man stepped outside the paint and knocked down mid-range jump-shots. Whenever Westfield found themselves in transition, Luke showed his athleticism by running the floor and finishing strong at the rim. He's a great rebounder and shot blocker who attacked the glass and protected the paint. I would not be surprised if Luke finished the game with a double-double in points and rebounds. Defensively, he contested every opposing shot and made scoring difficult for the Scecina. The highlight of the game was Luke's put-back slam in the third quarter.      I enjoyed watching this young man play Wednesday evening. Wyatt was literally everywhere on the court. He's a rugged player who made all the hustle plays for Westfield. He attacked the boards on both ends the floor. Wyatt is a hardworking player who did not mind battling for rebounds in the paint. I watched him take charges and hit the floor after loose balls. Wyatt had no issues doing whatever it took to help the team win. He showed a knack for scoring tough baskets through contact. Some of those scores led to three-point play opportunities from the foul-line. Wyatt confidently stepped to the line and converted them. He also showed the ability to extend his shooting range beyond the three-point line. On defense, Wyatt was tenacious! He bodied up his opponents and forced numerous turnovers while applying pressure.

Both Varsity teams displayed the skills needed to be contenders in the 2025-2026 season. Westfield is a team that gelled together in every facet of the game. Scecina is a team that hustles and fights its opponents in every phase of the game.