Monday night Jemon Price scored 23 points and Isaiah Brown added 17 as #16 Westfield took the title game of the Thomas Edison Holiday Classic, 70-60 over host Edison.
Westfield went up double digits early and led 35-25 at halftime, but the Bulldogs lost momentum in the third quarter due to some missed opportunities in transition, starter Mathias Lee’s foul trouble, and the scrappy play of the Eagles. When Edison senior guard Isaiah Skinn drove the lane and found Tristan Walton open for a layup early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles only trailed 45-44.
The Bulldogs (7-3) responded with a quick 6-0 run to quiet the raucous Edison home crowd and re-take control of the contest. First, junior point guard Colin Stemberger found Brown open for a smooth baseline runner. Then after a steal Price missed in transition, but freshman Malachi Lee followed the miss with a dunk. Price then converted a driving layup to complete the run.
Jemon Price the miss on the break, but @Westfield_bball freshman Malachi Lee the emphatic follow!! Westfield boys lead Edison 54-47, 4:44 left. Eagles had closed to 45-44, but a 9-3 Bulldogs run. pic.twitter.com/c8Y2pvylnO
— Novahoops.com (@novahoopsCom) December 31, 2024
Walton hit a three for Edison, but Westfield freshman Carter Brooks then found Brown open for a three to make it 54-47. Edison got as close as 58-55 on a Skinn three-pointer, however Price immediately answered that with another bucket of his own to again help stem the tide.
It was another mixed bag of a victory for Bulldogs coach Kevin Harris and his young team, which did not play any seniors on Monday. The Bulldogs flashed dominance and showed resilience in stemming the Edison second half run, but also made several mental errors–especially in the third quarter to help Edison rally in the first place. Nevertheless, it was a quality win in a tough road environment.
Edison (6-3) was led by Skinn, who had an efficient shooting night to get to 20 points, and also contributed eight assists. Walton added 12 points, while sophomore Tyler Hankins had 11.
Lemon and Brown were the heavy hitters on offense for Westfield, but Mathias Lee also managed to add 13 points despite his foul trouble. The Bulldogs freshmen, Brooks and Malachi Lee, had eight points combined off the bench. Stemberger added five assists.
–Chris Jollay
all statistics are unofficial
| WESTFIELD | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| PRICE | 5-15 | 11-12 | 23 | 5 | 0 | |
| STEMBERGER | 2-3 | 1-2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| ROBINSON | 2-5 | 0-2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| BROWN, JR. | 6-10 | 3-5 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
| MATHIAS LEE | 5-5 | 3-3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | |
| Brooks | 1-1 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Malachi Lee | 2-5 | 1-3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
| Dahm | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 23-44 | 20-29 | 70 | 24 | 10 | |
| Threes: Brown 2-5, Price 2-6, Robinson 0-2 | ||||||
| EDISON | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| NESBITT | 1-8 | 4-4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | |
| HANKINS | 5-7 | 0-2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | |
| OLDHAM | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| SKINN | 5-9 | 8-10 | 20 | 3 | 8 | |
| WALTON | 5-5 | 1-1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | |
| Lacey | 2-7 | 2-2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
| Patten | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 19-42 | 15-19 | 60 | 15 | 13 | |
| Threes: Skinn 2-4, Lacey 2-6, Walton 1-1, Patten 1-1, Hankins 1-3, Oldham 0-3, Nesbitt 0-5 | ||||||