Baskets were tough to come by for the Lehman Lobos (9-17) Friday in a 82-34 district loss to the state-ranked Westlake Chaparrals (23-3).
“I mean they are as good as advertised,” Lobo head basketball coach Steven Pinchback said about the Westlake squad. “They got D-1 (players) all over the place, they are well coached, they are a good program. So I knew it was going to be tough.”
Westlake jumped out to an early 24-6 lead after the first quarter and kept its foot on the pedal for the rest of the half to seize a 49-12 lead by halftime.
Lehman struggled to stop the Chaparral offensive attack, as junior post Will Baker and senior wing Matthew Mayer had multiple dunks over the Lobo defense.
Baker led the Chaparrals in points with 15 on the night, while senior small forward and University of Texas commitment Brock Cunningham scored 14 through three quarters played.
Four starting players for Westlake had double digit points for the game. Along with Baker and Cunningham, Mayer finished with 12 points, while senior guard Keonte Kennedy accounted for 13 points.
“I just wanted my guys to try and compete a little bit,” Pinchback stated. “They just have to learn to be a good team and a good program, you have to play teams like this.”
Although disappointed with the loss, Pinchback reiterated that in order for the Lehman program to improve they must play teams like Westlake. In addition, he wanted to see some younger players play meaningful minutes against one of the top teams in the state.
“This is about building for later and just giving these guys some confidence,” said Pinchbeck. “You have to learn from every game, so hopefully we can take away if you don’t block out or if you don’t make shots it’s going to be a long night.”
Lehman fought hard until the end of the game, but the depth of Westlake, and the already sizable lead was too much for the Lobos. Westlake played most of its bench players throughout the fourth quarter to secure the win for the Chaps.
Lobo senior guard Kenny Henderson scored 15 points and brought down two rebounds with his tough play during the game, while senior small forward TJ Jefferson added four points and three rebounds.
“You’re going to take lumps at some point,” Pinchback said. “But, eventually if you keep working and getting after it you will be on the other side. So that’s what I have to keep telling these guys.”
Lehman will look to win its first game in district play Saturday, Jan. 20, at Leander (11-11).
