Last week marked the opening two games of the basketball season for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The girls’ team went 2-0, outscoring their opponents by a combined 79 points, topping the 50-point mark in both games.
Senior Lizzy Jeronimus led the team in scoring in West’s home opener against Shawnee Mission North with 31 points. Seniors Brooke Katterhenry and Jenn Stanley added 17 points and 12 points. The Vikings outscored the Indians in every quarter, winning the game in a landslide 82-23 victory.
Three days later the Vikings faced Shawnee Mission South at home, and also won by a large margin. Katterhenry led the team in scoring with 20 points, while Jeronimus added nine. Hitting three 3-pointers, senior Kaitlin Beeman also scored nine.
The boys’ team started out strong, too, defeating North on the road in their opening game on Tuesday, December 7. Senior Mitch Mansour had a career night with a team-high 22 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Junior Mitch Witter added 16 and senior Matt Smith scored 13. After the score being a one-posession game after three quarters, the Vikings pulled away in the fourth, capping their first victory of the season.
With momentum from their victory on Tuesday, the boys’ basketball team hoped to carry it into the rivalry game at Shawnee Mission East on Friday, Dec. 10. Coming back from a 28-15 deficit at halftime, the Vikings’ rally fell short and they were defeated 50-44. Witter led the way with 13 points and senior Preston Felgate hit three 3’s with a total of nine points.