There are plenty of ways a team can break out of a slump.
A few days of hard practice, a lineup change or even the dreaded players-only meeting. Whatever the chosen way to go about it, one thing stays the same: It takes everyone.
Westminster, riding a three-game losing streak, returned home Friday night desperate to flip the script. The Owls did exactly that, delivering a complete team effort and a season-high scoring output in an 81-50 rout of Manchester Valley.
“Tonight, we played the style of basketball we want to play,” Westminster coach Johnathan Forster said. “Our execution was much better, and that’s how we got the result we got.”
Forster credited a demanding week of practice for the turnaround and from the first quarter, one of his hardest workers — sophomore guard Tyler Anderson — was the catalyst.
“He’s been in the gym since the offseason,” Forster said. “Every time I look at my phone, he’s messaging me, asking to get shots up, looking to get in the gym and put the work in.”
Anderson, whom Forster often brings off the bench alongside Caron Stultz to create defensive havoc or steady the offense, delivered a season-high 18 points to lead the Owls.
“My teammates found me,” Anderson said. “They found me in the corner, I knocked down a couple shots, and that helped a lot. We just executed really well tonight.”
Anderson set the tone early, knocking down his first three shots as the scoring became contagious quickly. Seven different Owls scored in the opening quarter, sparking a dominant 14-2 run.
The rout continued, with the lead ballooning to 23 before halftime. Manchester Valley got several quality looks, but shots that usually fall from reliable shooters refused to drop. Each miss drained momentum and fueled a blacked out Owls student section.
“We defended and rebounded much better than we have been,” Forster said. “It goes back to that great week of practice. It refocused everybody.”
Transition offense became a point of emphasis, and with Anderson rolling, he led the charge. He pushed the pace, first kicking out to Paul Burgee for a 3-pointer, then finding Logan Hoot down low for a dunk.
Anderson saved the exclamation point for later, lofting a perfect alley-oop to Charlie Mollman that sent the entire gym to its feet and left Anderson flashing his biggest smile of the night as he and Mollman saw the opportunity coming from a mile away.
“That exact same thing happened in practice yesterday,” Anderson said. “I came down the left side, threw it up to Charlie and he threw it down. That was the best moment tonight.”
Mollman finished with 13 points, marking the sixth time he has reached double figures this season. Hoot and Brandon Barrett joined him and Anderson, giving Westminster four players in double figures.
Perhaps the best part about getting a win and getting out of a slump are the good vibes that come with it. Anderson was mobbed by teammates and the student section after the final buzzer, sharing a proud embrace with his coach. Even in the closing seconds, when Luke Ronde sliced through the Mavericks’ defense for a layup, the entire bench leapt to its feet to show him some love.
“When we get hot, we’re happy for each other,” Anderson said. “That’s just how we do things here. There’s no selfishness. It’s good for everybody.”
With the win, and the momentum that came with it, the smiles may be here to stay for a team that appears to have found its rhythm while building off its first victory since the calendar turned to 2026.
“We’ve been struggling lately, but we finally broke the chains that were holding us back,” Anderson said. “We just focused on getting 1 percent better every day.”
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Westminster 81, Manchester Valley 50
W- Tyler Anderson 18, Brandon Barrett 14 Charlie Mollman 13 , Logan Hoot 11, Paul Burgee 9, Shae Greenwood 8, Caron Stultz 4, Luke Ronde 2
MV- Colton Enderle 14, Lane Saunders 9, Kyle Menchey 6, Trevor Hottenstein 4, Jaxson Strohman 4, Brady Strohman 4, Jackson Breakey 3, Mason Sigai 2, Colby Howdyshell 2