West Port eases past Master’s Academy

West Port coach Corey Rollerson, center, talks to his team during a time out in Friday night’s game against Master’s Academy. [Photo by Mark Pinson]

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Posted December 14, 2024 | By Mark Pinson, Special to the Ocala Gazette

Offense can come and go, but being solid defensively can make a difference in every game. West Port senior forward Calise Smith scored a game-high 16 points and a tenacious Wolf Pack defense forced 25 turnovers in a 44-20 throttling of Master’s Academy on Friday night.

The loss dropped the Eagles to 5-4 on the season, while the convincing victory improved West Port to 7-3 overall.

“This was one of our best games,” said Wolf Pack coach Corey Rollerson. “We’ve kind of struggled offensively for most of the season, but we’ve been working on that and tonight we played well. We started moving the ball and working it around the defense and got our guards some good shots. We were balanced with the ability to score inside the paint or from the outside.”

Both teams started the first quarter slowly, with West Port’s Smith scoring four of her 16 points to help the Wolf Pack enjoy a slim 9-5 lead heading to the second period. West Port turned up the defensive intensity with its physical man-to-man scheme, which forced Master’s Academy (Oviedo) into numerous turnovers that the Wolf Pack converted into points. Senior forward Aaliyah Grant scored four of her eight points and Ciya Mudaliar and Caniyah Graham drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give West Port a commanding 25-9 lead at the half.

The Wolf Pack came out focused for the second half and extended their advantage as Sade Smith tickled the twine from behind the 3-point arc and Calise Smith netted seven points, including a 3-pointer from the right baseline, to give the Wolf Pack a 39-9 lead heading to the final eight minutes.

Master’s Academy put together its best offense of the game in the final stanza as center Alexis Roicki scored seven of her team-high nine points. Senior Jasie Vellon added a bucket for two of her eight points to pull the Class 2A Eagles within 20 points midway through the final quarter.

Both teams cleared their benches in the closing minutes as the Class 7A Wolf Pack eased to the win.

“It was a good win,” coach Rollerson said. “We pride ourselves on defense and we kept the pressure on and did a good job of forcing turnovers.”

West Port, which has won four games in a row, is back on the hardwood on Dec. 19 with a home game against the Buchholz Bobcats.