West finds their rhythm in win against Northview Academy
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Morristown West fought their way to a double digit comeback Tuesday night against Northview Academy, winning 58-47.
Morristown West found their way in the paint and clutched an 11-point win, after being behind by 11 at the end of the first quarter. The victory improved their record to 10-9 for the season.
Three guys led the Trojans with double digits. Ty Steisslinger scored 16, along with Bereket Evans who dropped 14 and Jalen McCullough with 13.
“Jalen does a lot for us. He made some good moves and got some rebounds for us tonight,” head coach Joe Dobyns said about McCullough. “We just keep trying to challenge all our guys.”
Rylin King added in six, followed by Damian Morgan with four, Kyan Almonte with three and Tory House with two.
The Trojans had trouble waking up in the first quarter, only scoring two baskets. The contest began with King draining a three-pointer and Evans adding in two. But Northview came in hot, scoring 16 points straight to finish out the quarter. Losing 16-5, West needed a wake up call.
West found the energy they needed in the second quarter. Evans and Almonte put up buckets and McCullough added in a 3-point play. West used those eight minutes to climb their way up the scoreboard with free throws and easy buckets.
Northview held their lead right until the end of the half when Steisslinger drained a half court shot at the buzzer, tying the game, 24-24.
The Trojans were on fire, and kept the spark alive. After beginning the second half with a basket from the Cougars, West scored 11 points straight, putting them ahead by nine. Both teams kept finding baskets, ending the third quarter with a Trojan lead, 41-36.
“At the half we talked about trying to get the ball inside a little bit more … We want to try to use our speed and our guards to get up the floor and get some easy buckets and we were able to do that well in the second half,” Dobyns said
As the Cougars worked to keep up, West kept getting in the paint. Steisslinger brought six points in the quarter, while McCullough and Morgan both added four each. Evans also pitched in a quick two-point basket.
The consistent shooting from the Trojans brought them to a 58-47 lead to win the game.
Morristown West will travel to Jefferson County on Friday for another district contest.
“It’s going to be a tough test for us at their place … They’re very good defensively,” Dobyns said. “We’re going to have to continue to apply some defensive pressure and try to get the ball down the floor.”
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

