By GARY KAUFFMAN
For the second night in a row, Westview gutted out a win, this one for the Northeast Corner Conference championship.
The Warriors defeated Angola 51-45, despite trailing most of the game.
“That’s two gutsy wins in a row,” Westview coach Rob Yoder said. “Our kids never gave up.”
After a spate of injuries, Westview was forced to play with just eight players. Things became even more complicated when Dominique Neely got into foul trouble in the first half.
Junior Seth Wagler picked up the slack, scoring all 10 of the teams first-quarter points. He led the team with 23 points, eight rebounds and dished out three assists while playing every minute of the contest.
“It was tiring but you’re playing for the championship so you have a little extra in your tank,” he said.
Neely made his presence felt in the third quarter when he hit back-to-back 3-pointers after Angola had taken a 34-26 lead.
Wagler’s 3 at 3:08 in the fourth period put Westview on top for the first time, 39-38. Neely followed with another 3.
The Warriors hit seven of eight free throws in the final 46 seconds to ice the win.
