West Port overpowers Vanguard

West Port’s Aaliyah Grant (12) scored two of her game-high 17 points over Vanguard’s Sylaya Roberson (22) during the Friday night game. [Photo by Mark Pinson]

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Posted December 21, 2024 | By Mark Pinson, Special to the Ocala Gazette

The West Port High School girls’ basketball team continues to show significant improvement as the season progresses and Friday night’s dismantling of Vanguard was more evidence of that.

West Port senior forward Aaliyah Grant scored a game-high 17 points to go with 12 rebounds and a swarming man-to-man defense forced 30 Vanguard turnovers as the Wolf Pack rolled to a 49-19 win over the Knights.

The loss evened Vanguard’s record at 5-5 on the season, while the victory improved West Port to 9-3 overall.

“We came out, got the lead and held on to it,” said Wolf Pack coach Corey Rollerson. “We did a lot of good things tonight and we got the win and we’re happy with that. Aaliyah is an aggressive player inside and we looked to get her going early. She plays hard and has been phenomenal for us this season.”

West Port started slowly to open the game and only led by a score of 4-3 midway through the opening stanza. But senior Calise Smith scored five points, junior point guard Caniyah Graham added four of her 15 points, and Grant muscled her way to nine points in the paint as the Wolf Pack stormed out to a 22-7 lead over Vanguard heading to the second period.

The Knights tried to stay close as Saniria Gunsby scored four of her team-high eight points, but West Port utilized a trapping defense to force the Knights into numerous miscues, which the Wolf Pack turned into easy baskets. Graham knocked down a 3-pointer from the left baseline to give West Port a large lead and all the momentum heading into the half.

“Everything starts with our defense and we’re just starting to play the way we’re capable,” coach Rollerson said.

West Port came out focused for the third period and continued to expand its lead as Grant, who also had three blocks, scored seven points and Graham drained a trey from long distance to give the Wolf Pack a commanding 45-13 lead heading to the final eight minutes.

Both teams went to their benches in the last quarter and West Port was content to work the ball around on offense and run clock with each possession. Class 5A Vanguard continued to play hard with Gunsby knocking down a pair of free throws for the Knights.

Graham scored on a driving layup for her final points of the night and the Wolf Pack ran out the clock to seal the victory. Class7A West Port will look to enjoy the Christmas break before getting back on the hardwood after the first of the year.

“We want to stay healthy and continue to improve and be playing our best ball when the district tournament comes around,” coach Rollerson said. “Our goal is to win the district tournament and qualify for the state playoffs.”