Girls’ Basketball

The Westbrook girls’ basketball squad split a pair of matchups during its opening week of the 2018-’19 season. The Knights took a loss against defending Class S state champion Coginchaug, before bouncing back with a victory over Haddam-Killingworth.

Westbrook began its season by hitting the road for a game against Coginchaug on Dec. 13. The Blue Devils used their superior size to come away with a 62-32 victory in the contest.

Two days later, Westbrook was back on the road to play Haddam-Killingworth and defeating the Cougars 50-34 for its first win of the year. Senior Savannah Marshall came up big on offense by scoring 24 points to go with eight steals on the defensive end in the win. Fellow senior Kelly Donlan had eight points with 14 rebounds, while junior Lexi Koplas also scored eight points for Westbrook.

While the Knights aren’t sporting big numbers, Head Coach Kelly Landino likes the makeup of her team this season. Landino said that Coginchaug’s size posed problems for Westbrook in its opener, but she felt the Knights rose to the challenge by defeating H-K later in the week.

“Coginchaug was a matchup nightmare with their two 6-foot-2 girls. We could cover one, but not both of them. Then, we went on to beat H-K,” said Landino. “We only have 12 girls total this season, but we have decided that a junior varsity season is still very important to grow our program. Our varsity kids are three returning seniors and two returning juniors, while the rest of our team consists of five freshman and two girls new to basketball. We may have a small roster once again, but I will take quality over quantity any day.”

Boys’ Basketball

The Westbrook boys’ basketball team got its campaign underway by squaring off against Shoreline Conference opponent Coginchaug at home last week. The Knights began their year on a triumphant note by grabbing a 60-56 victory over the Blue Devils in their season opener on Dec. 13.