High School Basketball : Westlake Advances to Playoffs, 57-48

Earlier this season, Westlake Coach Greg Hess reckoned that his winning percentage was of the sort that earned a coach a plane ticket.

A one-way ticket--home.

However, the Warriors regrouped behind their first-year coach and won seven of their last nine Marmonte League games, including Friday night’s 57-48 victory over Newbury Park to clinch second place and advance to the Southern Section 4-A Division playoffs.

“When we were 0-3 and they had those Calgary flight tickets tacked up on the board I was concerned,” said a joking Hess, who is from Calgary and knew the tickets wouldn’t be gifts to see the Winter Olympics. “We were worried. I went sleepless for two or three weeks but things worked out.”

Kevin Logan’s 20 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists helped things work out at Newbury Park. Fellow frontliners Bill Fassl (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Kurt Schwan (13 points, 12 rebounds) helped take the inside game away from Newbury Park. The Panthers were unable to capitalize from outside.

Newbury Park, led by Wayne Cook’s 12 points and David Angulo’s 11, made 4 of 19 three-point attempts and was 20 of 56 from the field overall.

Westlake (15-9, 7-5 in league play), the 4-A runner-up last season, took a 28-13 lead with three minutes left in the second quarter and cruised from there. Newbury Park, which had won two of its past three games, finished 6-16, 2-10.