By Moses Leos III

Adept three-point shooting Tuesday guided the Westlake Chaparrals past the Lehman Lobos 64-38 at the Lobo Den.  

Ten Westlake players recorded points, led by a ten-point effort from senior guard Isaac Reichle. Lehman senior forward JaMiah Windom scored a game-high 14-points. 

Westlake (17-9, 9-4) wasted no time in finding rhythm from long range. All 15 of Westlake’s first quarter points came from beyond the three-point arc. The Chaps knocked down thirteen three-pointers in the game. 

Chaparral head coach Robert Lucero said the team atteempted to take what Lehman’s defense offered.  He lauded his team’s ability to find the open shooter against Lehman’s rotating defense. 

“As long as we keep the ball moving, and take the extra pass, we’ll take the three (pointer),” Lucero said. 

Westlake led 15-8 after a quarter of play. But the Lobos responded in the second frame by utilizing their size advantage. 

Lehman (5-21, 1-12) focused on feeding the post, giving the ball to Windom and senior post Ivan Melendez, who scored eleven points. 

Melendez said the play from the guards helped keep pressure off of the Lobo big men. 

But Lehman head coach Thomas Acker said the team struggled in its transition defense.  On the opposite end, Lucero said the Chaparrals focused on speeding the tempo to keep the Lobos off balance. 

Acker said his team defended well in the first half. Ultimately, they couldn’t halt a torrid Westlake offense. 

 “We did what our game plan was, but they got some open looks and they knocked them down,” Acker said. 

The Chaps led 34-22 at intermission and poured the offense on from there. 

Westlake outscored Lehman 16-5 in the third period, guided by a pair of three-pointers from Reichle. They continued momentum into the fourth, outscoring Lehman 14-11. 

Lehman guards struggled to deliver the ball into the paint. A scrappy and physical Westlake team negated the size advantage Lehman had. As a result, the Lobos’ offense was neutralized, limited often times to only one shot. 

“We were in the right spots, but were’t playing physical, and didn’t match the intensity,” Melendez said. “We didn’t block them, and the blocked us.” 

For Acker, struggles Tuesday fell upon three categories. But trying to stop Westlake’s hot hand proved to be a challenge they couldn’t halt.  

“We didn’t secure the rebound or produce points. Defensively, we didn’t guard well. Those three are a bad combination,” he said. 

Lehman hosts Bowie for senior night on Friday at 7:30 p.m.