West Springfield Defeats Edison 55-33 In Northern Region Quarterfinal Game

The West Springfield Spartans defeated the Edison Eagles 55-33 at home Wednesday, to advance to the semifinals of the Northern Region tournament. Widely regarded as having two of the best basketball programs in the area, the matchup generated a large amount of buzz in the region.

Despite not playing each other in the regular season, over the past few years the two schools have managed to create a rivalry. West Springfield has consecutively eliminated Edison from the Northern Region tournament. West Springfield coach Bill Gibson prepared his players for Edison's likely desire for revenge.

“We didn’t come in thinking about Friday [and a matchup with Oakton]. We thought about Wednesday," West Springfield point guard April Robinson said. "We wanted to get at them, get out there, and just play our game.”

The Spartans had the home court advantage as a boisterous student section menaced Edison’s players on nearly every offensive possession. Ruth Sherrill had an impressive first quarter, scoring five points, helping Edison take a 10-9 lead with just less than two minutes remaining in quarter. West Springfield would counter, regaining the lead 12-11 as the quarter came to a close.

Edison exploded offensively to start the second quarter. The Eagles went on a 12-0 run, and West Springfield failed to score their first points of the quarter until the five-minute mark on a Logan Battle basket. Battle’s bucket seemed to swing momentum.

Robinson then  connected on three straight 3-pointers, giving West Springfield the nine points needed to tie the game at 23. With momentum on their side, West Springfield would go on to lead 25-24 at the half.

The Spartans came out strong to start the third, going on a 6-0 run. Edison stopped the Spartan run with a 3-pointer from Kierra Graham, but Battle would put the Spartans right back in rhythm with a triple of her own.

Edison fell victim to the feisty West Springfield defense, as the Eagles only scored six third-quarter points. Despite struggling offensively in the quarter, Edison still continued to fight hard, not willing to bow out easily. At the end of three, West Springfield led 44-30.

For nearly four minutes at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams failed to score. However, West Springfield’s Jordan Miller put the finishing touches on the Eagles. The junior scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in the fourth.

Unfortunately for Edison, they’d only score three points in the game’s final quarter. As the clock expired, West Springfield went on to win, 55-33.

Following the game, Edison head coach Dianne Lewis, remarked about last year’s defeat to West Springfield, and what it meant for the Eagles going into Wednesday’s game.

“I knew the four returning varsity players would remember that and have it fresh in their minds and come out and play hard. And they did. That showed in our first half. But, again, it’s a tough opponent. When you’re playing an opponent that tough, it takes more than just remembering that they knocked us out,” Lewis said. “We had an awesome first half, weren’t quite able to put it together in the second half, but I’m still proud of the young ladies and of the way they played.”

As for West Springfield, Gibson remarked on the late first half turnaround.

“April Robinson took over offensively and that was the difference.”

Robinson and the Spartans now have one day to rest before their shot at revenge. West Springfield faces Oakton Friday at Robinson High School with a trip to states on the line. Last year, Oakton defeated West Springfield, 54-39, in the same regional championship game.