Referees’ whistles seemed to ring out more than the pop of twine Friday at Westlake High School, but the choppy ebb of the game couldn’t prevent the Chaps from staying perfect in District 25-5A.

Westlake (26-4 overall, 11-0 in district) beat Austin High (19-11, 4-7) at its own deliberate attack in a 55-50 win that moved the Chaps closer to the district crown.

The Maroons’ reliance on their zone came as no surprise to Westlake. In the earlier meeting between the teams [a 65-62 Westlake win], Austin High had its most success when it played zone defense and slowed down the pace. Friday, the Maroons held Westlake eight points under its season average.

However, Chap senior point guard Cody Doolin saw that score as a positive for his squad as it nears the postseason.

“Austin High did a good job in their zone,” he said. “They slowed us down, but I think that’s what we’re doing better as a team; we can play fast, or we can slow it down and win a game like this.”

Doolin did his part to help the Chaps get the victory. After spending most of the first half as a facilitator, he picked up his offensive game as the contest began to bog down.

Austin High never led in the game but cut Westlake’s lead to 33-30 midway through the third period. Doolin, who had 17 points in addition to seven assists and seven rebounds, responded by slicing into the lane and flipping in a reverse layup. He then nailed a three-pointer on Westlake’s next possession and finished his scoring burst with a trey that opened the fourth period and gave the Chaps a 43-36 lead.

Austin High didn’t close that gap to a single basket until a desperation three-pointer with four seconds left in the game.

“I wasn’t making many shots early, and my teammates were knocking them down,” Doolin said. “Once it [Austin High’s zone defense] started loosening up, that helped everyone else, and it helped me.”

According to Westlake coach Tres Ellis, the officiating didn’t help his team find a rhythm. The Chaps were whistled for 18 fouls and suffered a 14-5 foul deficit by the end of the third period.

“It was about impossible to get going,” he said. “I couldn’t get a read on how they [the officials] were calling the game, and many questionable calls didn’t go our way. But that’s what happens in rivalry games like this. Sometimes, you have to be so much better just to get ahead.”

Conner Kemper scored 13 points for the Chaps, and Gus Leeper added seven points and nine rebounds.

Austin High’s Eric McClellan led all players with 19 points, and teammate Alex Reinking chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds. The rest of the Maroons combined for 18 points on a collective 7-of-28 shooting.

With a season sweep of their most bitter district rival behind them, the Chaps can now focus on finishing one of the most challenging district slates in the state. The Chaps enter the home stretch two games ahead of Bowie but face a daunting final stretch that includes trips to Akins and Bowie before a home finale with Pflugerville.

“We want to win every game,” Doolin said. “That’s been a goal of ours for a long time, to go undefeated in district. But we have three tough games left.”

News and notes
Sophomore post Drew Wikelius played his first game since suffering a foot injury a month ago and scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting. … The Chaps knocked down eight of 19 three-point shots, compared to three of 19 for Austin High.

Box score
Westlake 55, Austin High 50

Austin High 13 11 12 14 – 50
Westlake 23 8 9 15 – 55

Austin High (19-11, 4-7) – McClennan 5-10 8-9 19, Reinking 5-14 3-5 13, Dogale 0-5 0-0 0, Robbins 3-7 0-0 7, Strake 1-7 0-0 3, Gonzalez 3-8 2-2 8, Nath 0-0 0-0 0, Wright 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-52 13-16 50.

Westlake (26-4, 11-0) – Powell 2-7 0-0 5, Meyertons 1-2 2-2 4, Kemper 5-11 0-1 13, Leeper 2-7 2-2 7, Doolin 6-15 3-4 17, Rowan 1-2 1-1 5, Cox 0-1 0-0 0, Wikelius 2-3 0-0 4, Lancashire 0-1 0-0 0, Fell 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-49 9-11 55.

3-Point goals: Austin High 3-19 (Powell 1-2, Robbins 1-2, Strake 1-4, Wright 0-1, Gonzalez 0-2, Reinking 0-3, Dogale 0-5), Westlake 8-19 (Kemper 3-4, Doolin 2-7, Leeper 1-1, Rowan 1-2, Powell 1-2, Cox 0-1, Fell 0-1, Lancashire 0-1). Rebounds: Austin High 37 (Reinking 13), Westlake 29 (Leeper 9). Assists: Austin High 4 (McClennan 2), Westlake 9 (Doolin 7). Steals: Austin High 3 (Reinking 2), Westlake 5 (Doolin 2). Blocks: Austin High 1 (Robbins 1), Westlake 4 (Leeper 3). Turnovers: Austin High 16, Westlake 14. Total fouls: Austin High 13, Westlake 18.