LOCKDOWN

By Brandon Petersen

A lot of things happen when you play good defense.

Namely, wins.

The Westcliff men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a 70–61 victory over a talented Our Lady of the Lake squad Friday night at OCC. 

Two nights earlier, the Saints waltzed into Santa Clarita and took down NAIA preseason No. 9 The Master's, 86-79.

But the defending Cal Pac champions brought a little swagger to the proceedings themselves and showed early that this season's rebuilt roster will win with defense, chemistry, and composure.

The Warriors forced a satisfying 30 turnovers, turning a halftime deadlock into a 41-point second half surge that sealed their first win on their first assignment as a team.

"They actually like to play defense," head coach Jerred Cook said with a smile. "It's fun to get after it with this group. They love the energy that comes with that side of the basketball. We didn't want to show too much early, but when we turned up the pressure in the second half, it really changed the game."

The Warriors actually excel on the defensive side of the ball one through five. Their guards are hyper athletic and can sit with a strong base, keeping the ball in front, and ripping cookies when they spot an opening.

The bigs are long and athletic, and come with the same lockdown attitude their guards possess.

It all came together right about 13 minutes in, after the Dubs had erased an early deficit and squared things up before the break.

Jeremiah Paulino, last postseason's breakout guard now running point, was named player of the game after posting 14 points, four rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Lorenzo Marsh hit a pair of clutch threes in the final minutes to push the lead for good, finishing with 13 points.

Off the bench, DJ Henry delivered in the biggest moments — grabbing a huge offensive rebound that extended a scoring possession, before adding two of his own on a layup next time up.

Henry then locked up the win with a free-throw under a minute that extended the gap beyond reach.

"DJ's a gamer," Cook said. "He was trying to find his way early, had some foul trouble, but he never stopped playing hard.

"He's cerebral, he's about winning — and that showed up when we needed it most."

"Cerebral." It's a good word for this group.

It's early, but the Warriors stood out from last year's group in a couple of noticeable ways.

First up, the game didn't seem too fast for them, they made solid decisions in crucial moments that guided the team down the stretch.

Beyond that, the team was hype. The bench was lively. The Dubs like playing with and for each other.

It's a culture shift that Cook emphasized in the offseason.

His decision to rebuild the roster around character and basketball IQ so far has paid dividends.

Ten different Warriors logged double-digit minutes, and every one of them contributed to the defensive effort that frustrated a potent Saints offense into 38% shooting.

"I'm very humbled to say our culture is strong," Cook added. "It's come a long way. The guys really like each other — they support each other — and they want to see each other win.

"It's been fun to coach."

Westcliff moves to 1-0 and will now play a stretch of exhibitions against Concordia, Cal State LA and Cal State Dominquez Hills.

Such is the life of an NAIA program that pops bigger names with regularity.

La Sierra, on Friday, Nov. 7, will be the next contest logged in each team's book.