W.F. West coach Chris White finally saw his Bearcats take the floor for the first time on Wednesday, when W.F. West hosted Battle Ground.
The first quarter, one that saw just six combined points in the first six minutes, went about as he expected.
“I knew we’d be rusty,” White said. “We were just a little rustier than I thought we’d be.”
The Bearcats quickly knocked off the rust in the second quarter, and they ran away with a dominant 61-34 victory.
“It’s a positive to get in the win column,” White said. “We got a lot of guys on the floor, and got to see a little bit of what we could be.”
The two teams were tied at three just six minutes in, but the Bearcats went on a 22-4 run to break the game open before halftime.
“I liked our first half defensive intensity,” White said. “We were on time to shooters … And we were physical. I thought that looked pretty promising.”
Battle Ground made a few adjustments in the third and got hot from deep, hitting four threes, but W.F. West’s Carlos Vallejo helped the Bearcats maintain their lead.
Vallejo led the offense with nine points in the first half, and he continued to control the paint in the second.
He added 13 points in the final two frames to finish with a game-high 22 points and four rebounds in his first varsity game as a Bearcat. Vallejo spent all of last season on JV after coming over from Centralia, and White said that they could see the potential while he played there.
“We knew he’d be a nice piece this year,” White said. “We love his game, and he’s doing great.”
When it wasn’t Vallejo, many of the other Bearcats took turns leading the offense.
Grady Westlund scored his five points during the team’s run in the second quarter and led the team on the boards with 13 rebounds, while Gage Brumfield scored nine and grabbed five rebounds.
Weston Potter and Fox Rogerson both scored seven points, and Potter dished out three assists. Ross Kelley scored three points while also posting three assists and nabbing three steals.
All ten players who suited up saw the floor, and nine of the ten got on the scoresheet.
Of those ten, the Bearcats are led by their six seniors: Kelley, Brumfield, Potter, Westlund, Vallejo, and Brooks Ledgerwood. White added by saying he’s excited to watch them “grow their connection” as the season progresses.
“I’m really excited about the upside of it,” White said. “I’m excited about the potential of it, and the grittiness of it … We got a long way to go, but it’s a good start.”
W.F. West (1-0) will be back at home on Friday against Ridgefield, and it will host Mark Morris on Monday.
