Westlake Catches Hart on the Rebound, 70-58

It took four games, but Westlake High finally found a team it could outrebound.

A combination of hearty drills and the smallish stature of Thursday’s opponent, Hart, put Westlake in a position to hit the boards like first-year Coach Greg Hess had not seen in three previous games.

“We got hungry about it,” Hess said after the Warriors had defeated Hart, 70-58, in the consolation bracket of the Beverly Hills tournament. “We spent a lot of time in practice on a drill where there are no rules and it gets rough. Rebounding involves a little craziness.”

Junior forward Mike Waggoner was perhaps craziest of all with 13 rebounds. Teammates Kevin Logan and Bill Fassl each had 10.

Westlake (2-2) outrebounded the Indians, 44-32, including 18-9 at the offensive end.

“We’re one of the biggest teams around,” said Logan, who also had 23 points. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t control the boards every game.”

The Warriors repeatedly got the ball inside to 6-foot, 8-inch Kurt Schwan, who scored 20 points. Fassl (6-6) and Logan (6-7) also did most of their damage inside. Fassl had 17 points.

It is no coincidence that Westlake’s rebounding prowess took wing against Hart. The Indians are little, especially with football players Brian Jacobs (6-5) and Brian Allen (6-4) waiting for their first action.

The Warriors also had more chances, at least on the defensive end. Hart (2-4) was 21 of 53 from the field, including 10-of-12 shooting by junior Brett Wilson, who scored 23 points.

Westlake plays Rio Mesa today at 5:30 p.m.