Warrior Basketball News
Junior Nick Molina was selected to represent the Westwood Warriors for the annual "Heat Academic Team Player" award.
The Miami Herald and the Miami Heat in partnership with Gatorade and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida are sponsoring the Academic Team Player spotlight in Sunday's youth sports pages in the Neighbors Sunday Section.
Nick recieved the award for displaying sportsmanship and good grades in the classroom while also displaying the proper attitude and work ethic on the basketball court.
Warrior Basketball News
Our young Warriors finished off the regular season on a high-note, with a thrilling double-overtime victory over Westminster Academy. Jon Cardoza received a pass along the sideline and drove the length of the court in less than four seconds, found teammate Armond Shoon under the basket and hit him with a pin-point pass to set up the final bucket of the game. Shoon rose above his defender and banked in the winning basket at the buzzer.
Our Warriors left the crowd stunned and in silence with the upset win. An incredible effort on the defensive end of the floor gave our Warriors the opportunity to get the come-from-behind stunner. Carlos Garcia deParedes lit up the scoreboard with several long-distance daggers and paced Westwood with 23 points. Freshmen Eugene Joseph & Joey Jou did major "work" in the trenches for the Warriors as well, rebounding the ball, challenging shots and taking gut-wrenching charges. Their effort in the paint and Shoon's timely rebounds and layups proved to be the difference in a tightly contested game.
Final Score: Westwood 75 vs. Westminster Academy 73
Warriors vs. Calusa
Our Warriors came out the aggressor versus Calusa Prep with their patented full-court pressure and constant attack-mode defensive attitude. Senior Carlos Garcia deParedes lit up the scoreboard early on, knocking down 2 3-point bombs while matching Calusa's total offensive output in the first quarter with 10 points. Westwood held onto a 14-point halftime lead thanks in part to Carlos' perimeter game (15 points) and Shoon's slashing to the basket. (12-points)
The second half our Warriors clamped-down on the defensive end of the court and completely dominated the contest. Forcing turnovers and converting them into easy buckets became the theme of the second half, as the Warriors swarmed to the ball while ballooning their lead to 25-points. JP Hevia turned up the tempo and led his Warriors to the lopsided victory. JP dished out 7 assists to go along with 11 points and 4 steals. Freshman Eugene Joseph came off the bench and provided a major spark for the Warriors with his hustle and effort in the paint. Eugene changed shots, intimidated players in the blocks and rebounded the ball with tremendous ferocity. His play in the paint propelled the Warriors to an insurmountable lead. Eugene finished the game with a double-double, 14-points & 10- rebounds. Our Warriors continue to display a strong will to win, with a fighting spirit and defensive prowess unmatched by their early season opponents.
Final Score: Westwood 74 vs. Culsa 43
Warriors vs. Summit Christian
Our Warriors traveled north to West Palm for a showdown versus the defending State Champions of Summit Christian. Summit is also currently ranked #2 in Florida and posed a major challenge for the Warrior crew. They weathered the early storm, as the Fighting Saints of Summit Christian jumped to an early lead behind some sharp-shooting from long range. Our Warriors however quickly adapted and changed the tide with their relentless effort on defense along with some true leadership from the seniors.
JP Hevia controlled the tempo and directed the offensive attack with precise execution, while Carlos Garcia de Paredes clamped-down on his man, keeping him scoreless throughout the remainder of the contest. Carlos simply would not let up defensively, forcing turnovers and causing havoc while also leading the Warrior offense with a season-high 21 points (4 3-pointers). Nickson Geffrard stepped up in a major way on offense, drilling 3 3-pointers while doing a tremendous job on his much taller counterpart. Nickson controlled the paint for the Warriors and gave them a true fighting chance against a very formidable foe.
The game went back-and-forth throughout the second half, with our Warriors simply not giving an inch. A true display of Warrior Pride. Although the Warriors eventually fell to Summit Christian in a hard-fought 5-point loss, a lesson was learned and respect was earned. This game showed "we belong".
Final Score: Summit Christian 76 vs. Westwood 71
Warriors Vs. Terra
Our Young Warriors busted out from the opening jump to a commanding lead, relying on some stellar defense & relentless effort. They applied their full-court pressure and stymied the opponents from the get-go. “We are getting to see some results of our hard work in practice. The players are buying into the system and are beginning to trust each other on the court. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.” Coach Amat.
The Warriors got several big contributions, stating with the guard combination on JP Hevia & Jonathan Cardoza. JP came up with numerous steals and fast break points, while also finding his teammates in transition. Cardoza sliced through traffic for layups and hit several long-distance jumpers. The Warriors used a total team effort on the defensive end of the floor, forcing turnovers while converting them into easy buckets. Nickson Geffrard came off the bench to apply his “muscle” in the paint, spinning past his defender and converting at the cup. His defense in the blocks stymied his opponents and fueled the blowout victory. The game however belonged to junior super-star Armond Shoon. Shoon simply willed the Warriors to an insurmountable lead. He intercepted several passes in the press and blew past & over defenders, converting over and over again. Shoon also came up with back-to-back 3-point daggers and followed it up with a thunderous dunk to simply demoralize the opposition. He led all scores with a season-high 37 points, including 4 3-pointers and 6 steals.
Final Score: Westwood 85 vs. Terra 56
Warriors Vs. Princeton
The Warriors wasted little time in dominating their opponents, breaking out to a huge lead by the first quarter. JP Hevia started the onslaught by intercepting several passes and "picking the pocket" of his counterpart on consecutive plays. Junior Gabriel Gonzalez found his groove from behind the arc while knocking-down 3 3-pointers in the opening quarter as well. Also getting into the scoring mode was freshmen speedster Jonathan Cardoza. Cardoza blew past defenders while attacking the rim and showed his versatility with his outside touch, connecting on numerous long-distance bombs. Armond Shoon came off the bench to pull-down a team high 8 boards and keep his scoring prowess on par, chipping in with 17 points. Senior JP Hevia led the Warriors with an early-season high 20 points and 6 assists.
Final Score: Westwood 79 vs. Princeton 13
Warriors Vs. Coral Shores
Opening Night was a tremendous success for the Warriors, as they came out filled with emotion while playing in front of a rowdy home crowd. Senior Carlos Garcia de Paredes torched the nets from the opening jump, with 3-point bombs from all over the court. Their relentless full- court pressure helped the Warriors establish the pace of the game and gave the Warriors the momentum needed to eventually open up a double-digit lead. Jonathan "JP" Hevia did major damage for the Warriors as well, slicing the opposing defense with his strong moves through traffic. He converted on several 3-point plays that simply deflated the Hurricanes of Coral Shores. JP led the Warrior attack with a game-high 18 points while dishing out 7 assists. Junior Armond Shoon chipped in with 17 points and pulled-down a team high 9 rebounds for the Warriors and helped fuel the fire for the blowout victory. Final
Score: Westwood 74 vs. Coral Shores 60
Preseason Game
Our Warriors traveled to Naples for a pre-season game versus First Baptist Academy, on Friday November 18. Led by Armond Shoon's 22 points and the interior efforts of freshmen Eugenior Joseph and Joey Jou, they pulled-out the victory against the stingy Lions of Naples. Nickson Geffrard handled the duties in the paint as well, establishing a presence with his physical play and workman-like game. The team defense and stifling full-court pressure allowed the Warriors to take command early on, while holding their opponents to under 30% from the field. "This was a good test for us tonight & gave us an opportunity to work on many aspects of our game" head coach Jose Amat. The sky is the limit for this team and they are just finding themselves as a unit. There were many stellar moments for the warriors on the defensive end of the floor, highlighted by Eugene's steal & subsequent two-handed slammer. Final Score: Westwood 65 First Baptist 59.
Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. Recently the Boys Varsity participated in the Susan G Komen - Race for the Cure. The event had over 25,000 participants held in downtown Miami, benefiting research for breast cancer.