Sixth grader leads Westminster basketball team on championship run

Last month, sixth grader Weston Padgett scored 83 points in two games against previously undefeated Briarwood Christian School to help his teammates at the Westminster School at Oak Mountain win both the regular season and Birmingham Regional Independent Basketball 6th grade championships.

During the last game of the regular season against Briarwood, which was the only other undefeated team, Weston shot 19 of 22 (86 percent) and scored 48 points as Westminster won 49-46. He was 50 percent from 3-point range and 9-11 on free throws. He also had six steals, four deflections, seven rebounds and zero turnovers in 49 passes.

A week later, in a rematch against Briarwood in the tournament championship game, Westminster won 40-29 as the entire team worked together to hold Briarwood to 20 points below its season average. Weston was double- and sometimes triple-teamed but still managed to score 35 points and shoot 59 percent from the field.

For the season, Weston averaged 21 points on only 13 attempts per game, shot 66 percent from the field, shot 75 percent from the free-throw line and hit 50 percent of his 3-pointers.

Weston’s stats during the playoff run were featured by local radio celebrities Rick and Bubba and documented on YouTube (search Westminster basketball 48). 

Weston's teammates, by working together and playing a huge role both on offense and defense, also propelled the team on the championship run. Luke Robey led the team in assists, Ben O’Neil scored critical baskets and had a number of key steals, and David Blackburn, William Mote and Garrett Reynolds all played exceptional defense.

- Information submitted by John Padgett