Roberson scores 11 points as West Side rolls to first sectional since 2005
Parion Roberson scores 11 points off the bench as West Side rolls past Munster for first sectional championship since 2005
West Side’s Parion Roberson registered eight straight points, including consecutive 3-point plays, during Saturday night’s Class 4A West Side Sectional championship game against Munster.
With that outburst midway through the third quarter, the senior forward became the ninth Cougars player to score, highlighting their talent and depth.
Roberson finished with 11 points off the bench as West Side dominated for a 49-29 victory.
“We know how each other play,” Roberson said. “We grew up with each other — four, five years, some of us seven years. We know where each other is going to be, their spots, where they like to shoot. We know each other’s game.
“I just didn’t want to lose. I didn’t want to have that feeling again. I went for every loose ball, every rebound, did everything I could to win.”
West Side (20-4) secured its first sectional title since 2005. It was a special achievement for sixth-year coach Chris Buggs, a 2003 graduate, who received a celebratory dousing with water battles.
“The whole year, we haven’t really talked about it,” Buggs said. “But it’s kind of been on our backs. We knew it. We wanted to do it for our city and our community, our students and our faculty.
“Our students work so hard both in the classroom and on the court. They deserve it. We’ve been so close, and we wanted to get over the hump. I’m so proud of them. We’re not done yet. But I want to take this moment to soak in what we haven’t done in a long time.”
By beating Munster (18-6) — which had seven seniors, including all five starters, led by Luka Balac — West Side advances to next Saturday’s Michigan City Regional. The Cougars will play Elkhart (14-11) in the second semifinal.
Junior forward Jalen Washington paced West Side with 12 points.
“We were just focused on winning,” Washington said. “Nothing else matters. We know we still have a long way to go. We just wanted to win for our seniors, for our coaches and for our whole program.”
Senior forward Chrishawn Christmas contributed five points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Quimari Peterson added five points and five assists.
“We’ve been preaching all year about sticking together and doing things together,” Buggs said. “We’ve had some guys injured and we had some tough games we played. We used that to get other players experience.
“We lost a couple of games, but other guys got that environment of what it feels like to be in a tough game against a great team. When we got to the postseason, it built us to be a complete team. We can go 10 deep. Not a lot of teams can say that.”
Senior guard Dane Hamilton scored 11 points for Munster as West Side’s defense was outstanding again.
“Every day we’ve been building and working hard as a group,” Buggs said. “Now we’re starting to show the results of the work we’ve been doing all year. Our defense has gotten so much better. If we can keep up this defense, we can go a long way.
“If we play pressure defense and guard our man and we talk and we stay connected, there’s not a lot of teams in the state that have our size and athleticism. We can be a good team.”
Buggs knows good teams, being part of West Side’s 2002 state champion. So was assistant Sean Smith, a 2004 graduate, whom Buggs described as his best friend.
“We put in so many hours of work here and, now as adults, we’re giving back to the community,” Buggs said. “Him and I and the rest of the staff have put in so much blood, sweat and tears. To win a sectional at home, it means so much more.”