Westmoore Jaguars Winter Sports Preview

WESTMOORE JAGUARS

BY: CONNOR PASBY

WESTMOORE BASKETBALL

Westmoore’s 2021-2022 season had ups and downs ending with a 13-11 record. The Jaguars are hoping to carry their explosive offensive attack into this season.

They return 80% of their scoring from a year ago, a good sign for Todd Millwee and his veteran team. Millwee is entering his fourth season as the boys head coach. Over the summer, the Jaguars went 6-1 in the ORU basketball tournament against some solid eastside schools.

“We got to see what we need to work on,” Millwee said. “Overall, I like where our team is heading into the season.”

The Jaguars return four of their starters, including leading scorer in back-to-back seasons Evan Barber (6’2”, Sr). Barber averaged 19 ppg in his junior season and will be a catalyst on offense. He recently signed to play basketball at UCO.

Zach Hays (6’3”, Sr) was the second-leading scorer last year, averaging just over 18 ppg. Hays provides threepoint shooting and the ability to finish around the rim. He has gotten college scouts’ attention after his junior campaign.

They need younger players to step into bigger roles. Anthony Pulido (6’, Jr) is a talented guard that will give the offense a spark. Grant Loper (6’, So) and Garrett Loper (6’, So) are quick, flashy guards who will bring depth to the backcourt.

Millwee knows their offense is a strength, so they’ve been focusing on the other end of the floor.

“We have a lot of good shooters and ball handlers,” Millwee said. “We feel like defense will be a strength for us as well. That’s something we’ve been focusing on in the offseason, the ability to defend at a high level.”

The Lady Jaguars finished the 2021-2022 season with a 7-17 record that included many single-digit losses. Head coach Abby Chafey is entering her first year as the head coach after spending four years at SNU in Bethany and one year as an assistant coach. Chafey is excited to see what her team is made of.

“Our goal is to play four solid quarters of basketball every single night and leave nothing behind,” Chafey said. “We want our opponents to leave the floor knowing that they had to play Westmoore tonight, and it was hard.”

Westmoore will have a young, tough team on the floor. Dee Frost (5’7”, So) is a key returner. Frost made an early impact in her high school career as the starting

point guard her freshman year. Blythe Crawley (5’7”, So) is another returning playmaker. Both Frost and Crawley provided scoring and playmaking as freshmen last season.

The Lady Jags bring back some veteran players to help the young backcourt. Ruta Andrews (5’8”, Sr) brings toughness and physicality down low. Accayla King (5’8”, Sr) is another post player that is expected to play a bigger role this year. King is also a softball standout and is committed to Grayson College.

“They are pretty dominant in the post game for us,” Chafey said “We will be counting on them to protect the paint and score on the offensive end.”

Cassidy Gomez (5’8”, Jr) is a combo guard that be a playmaker. She has seen her minutes go up each season, due to her play on both ends of the floor.

The past few seasons have been a struggle, but they have a tough, gritty team that is ready to take the next step.

WESTMOORE WRESTLING

Will Evans enters his fifth season as the boys and girls wrestling coach and has high expectations for both clubs. Most of the team is back from a year ago, only losing three seniors. Both the girls and boys bring experience and excitement for this season. Evans says it’s one of the best pre-seasons they’ve ever had.

The Lady Jags return Aubrey Smith (Sr), who was the State runner up last year. She’s the lone senior and will take on a leadership role. Smith has been an exceptional talent, and she has her mind set on another State placement.

The girls roster consists of: Aubrey Smith, Aileen Alverez, Juliya Brannum, Rosa Zapata and Mariah Robbins, a young group that keeps getting better, according to Evans.

This season will be a great opportunity for different wrestlers to showcase the hard work they put in during the offseason. The growth of Westmoore girls wrestling just keeps getting stronger.

After a 8-2 regular season record last year, the Jaguars had four wrestlers qualify for State, three of them placed, which is an impressive task in the State tournament.

Holdon Martin (Sr) placed fourth in the State tournament wrestling at 175 and 190 throughout the year. He’s a three-time National Team member. The talented senior has quite the resume.

Devon Miller (So) earned a State placement too, getting the bronze medal. He’s one of the young talented wrestlers that Evans speaks highly of. It’s not easy for a freshman to place in State, but Miller made it look easy.

Trae Rios (So) was able to place fourth in State, which capped off an astonishing sophomore season.

“We are young, but we have a good group of seniors,” Evans said. “It’s a pretty unique group that we have, mixed with young guys and older guys.”

The junior high development continues to be a big strength for Westmoore. Evans will continue to produce young talent on both the girls and boys side. –19SM