SAN JOSE — It was just the start of league play, but with 11-0 Westmont paying a visit to 11-1 Willow Glen, the winner was going to stake a claim as early favorite and to being the team to beat in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division.
Willow Glen was giving away a little bit in the way of size, but made up for it by applying pressure, accelerating the pace and hitting 3-pointers on the way to a 55-47 victory that knocked Westmont from the ranks of the unbeaten.
“We play an up-tempo style, that’s our style, we’re not very big,” first-year coach Patrick Judge said. “We want to play fast, up and down, score a lot of points, apply ball pressure, and I thought we did an excellent job tonight.”
Willow Glen's Wyatt Ahlbrand (2) passes the ball against Westmont's Kylan Rou (21) in the fourth quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Willow Glen boys basketball head coach Patrick Judge coaches against Westmont High School in the first quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)The win was Willow Glen’s 11th in a row, dating back to a loss to Soquel on Dec. 4 in its second game of the season. Judge, who had made previous South Bay coaching stops at Santa Teresa, Saratoga and Leigh, is digging it.
“I’m having such a fun time coaching these guys,” Judge said. “They play together, unselfish, they share the ball really well. I’m proud of the way the whole team, all 13 guys, work together. We call it one-twenty, 120% all in, every day at practice.”
The Rams forced Westmont into 17 turnovers and had a 15-point advantage on 3-pointers made with nine to four by the Warriors.
Balanced scoring was another factor in the win. Willow Glen (12-1, 2-0) had four players score in double figures. Wyatt Ahlbrand scored 11. Point guard Brayden Gumabo, Miles Ingram and Chase Azus had 10 points apiece.
Willow Glen's Brayden Gumabo (1) scores a 3-point basket against Westmont's Quincy Dee (11) in the third quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)“If one guy has an off-night, we have multiple guys ready to step up,” Ahlbrand said. “Every close game like this makes us better and is going to prepare us for the next bigger fish.”
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Westmont’s 23-18 lead was erased on a 7-0 run by Willow Glen to close the first half and the Rams never trailed the rest of the way.
“We knew they were good,” Westmont coach John Franza said. “They were well prepared for us. I don’t know if we were complacent with what our start was. They learned pretty quickly that it was going to take a little more effort than what we gave tonight.”
Willow Glen's Josh Kaminski (24) scores a basket against Westmont's Quincy Dee (11) late in the fourth quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Westmont's Jacob Froman (0) takes a shot against Willow Glen's Chase Azus (3) in the second quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Westmont boys basketball head coach John Franza coaches his team against Willow Glen High School in the first quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Willow Glen's Miles Ingram (20) fights for a loose ball against Westmont's Jacob Froman (0) in the second quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Willow Glen's Josh Kaminski (24) is fouled by Westmont's Ruhaan Popli (1) in the third quarter at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)Hence then, the article about willow glen beats westmont makes early case for bval mt hamilton favorite was published today ( ) and is available on mercury news ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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