Lady Wildcats 8th grade guard Laura Mendell scored a team-high 23 points in leading Westport over Diman 58-47 in a Division 4 South playoff game on Friday night. Mendell who had only 2 points in the first half, came up huge and scored 21 points in the second half. Laila Silver scored 14, Kara Figueredo scored 10, Hailey Charest scored 6 and Madison Martins netted 2.

The bigger and stronger Diman gave the Wildcats a tough time in the paint. Westport led by just ten, 22-12 at halftime.

Diman cut the deficit to 26-20 in the third period on a putback by Center Makenzie Teixeira. Then Kara Figueiredo sparked a 7-0 Wildcat run with a 3-pointer giving Westport a 39-25 lead after three quarters.

Westport used their half court pressure trap defense to perfection in the fourth quarter. Mendell and Silver attacked the Diman guards and went on a scoring tear as the Cats led by as much as 18 points. The duo combined for 15 points in the fourth.

Notes: Coach Michael Ponte played the same five all game. The Cats forced 23 turnovers in the first half. Mendell went 8 of 11 from the foul line.

Next up:

The second-seeded Wildcats will face No. 6 Cohasset in the South semifinals Monday at Taunton High School at 7:15 p.m.