With senior captains Robert Liriano-Alejandro and Ty Pindel sharing in leadership roles and several other juniors starring, Westwood (3-0, 2-0) is off to a strong start in the Tri-Valley Large.

“Our way of solving things on the court is really constructive,” said Ortiz, who averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds last season. “I’ve been on a bunch of teams and some people solve problems in aggressive ways which can lead to controversy. But with this team everyone stays positive . . . This is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball.”

Westwood’s Adrian Ortiz (left) and Norwood’s Sam Larkee scrapped for a loose ball in their Tri-Valley matchup.MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

When his mom, Daisey Maldonado, accepted an offer to work at Moderna prior to his ninth grade year, Ortiz was initially heartbroken at the thought of leaving Puerto Rico. Basketball made the transition easier, as he quickly became friends with fellow freshmen prospects Dylon Zeneski, John Power, Aidan Rodman, Ben Ciejek and Mairaj Humayon.

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Ortiz studied English at private school, but Liriano-Alejandro, who is also of Puerto Rican descent, was available to translate any specific concepts to Spanish. Liriano-Alejandro has been commuting from Boston to Westwood since sixth grade as part of the Metco program and compares the basketball program to a family.

“We had a strong connection from the start,” he said about his relationship with Ortiz. “He’s always had a good voice and since last year he’s been a strong leader. Even in practice he was always doing things the right way, so he’s a great fit to be a captain.”

Westwood went 12-4 in TVL play last season, splitting the title with Hopkinton and Norwood. Liriano-Alejandro is the leading returnee after averaging 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals per game and he’s dropped 60 through three wins this year. Pindel, a defensive anchor, averaged 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks last season.

With a team-leading 60 points in a 3-0 start, Westwood’s Robert Liriano-Alejandro (2) can score, but he was all in trying to keep the ball in play on a Wolverine possession.MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

The Wolverines graduated three senior captains, including point guard Eli Ifrah, leaving a void for Ortiz, Rodman, and others to fill.

“It’s kind of the end of a chapter and we have to fill all those minutes and that leadership role,” said Westwood coach Ryan Douglass, his fifth season as head coach and 12th with the program

“I put a lot on our captains. I want this to be a player-led program . . . Once he got established, [Ortiz] earned the respect of his teammates and his confidence went through the roof. He kind of grabbed onto all of our standards and became a pillar of our program . . . You can’t convince me that he is a kid that moved to Westwood two years ago. He just fits in that well.”

Called up halfway through his freshman year, Ortiz became a sponge for information at the varsity level. He was the first guard off the bench last year, providing complementary scoring and defense, and now he guards the opposition’s top option in addition to handling increased responsibilities on offense.

Both of Ortiz’s parents played college sports in Puerto Rico and entered the pharmaceutical industry, with his father, Luis, serving as a chemist at Bristol Myers-Squibb. Through them, he learned how to lead by example and how to work hard enough to succeed in athletics and academics, creating the foundation for his dream to play basketball while studying some form of science in college.

“My parents are the perfect example of what it means to be an example,” said Ortiz. “The biggest thing they’ve instilled in me that translates to basketball is discipline and I’m really grateful to them for doing that.”

Giving captain Ty Pindel a hand against Westwood, fifth-year coach Ryan Douglass is a proponent of a player-led program. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

▪ Kevin Fairc has been ingrained in the Georgetown basketball program long before this season.

Also the varsity coach of girls’ soccer and softball at the school, Fair has taken over for Josh Keilty, who departed for St. Mary’s after leading the Royals to a Division 4 state championship last spring.

Fair coached summer and fall leagues the last couple of years. During the winter season, he lived in gyms across Massachusetts, scouting Georgetown’s future opponents. He watched 50 high school basketball games last season.

“Figuring out teams’ strengths and weaknesses, and trends. That stuff I love,” said Fair. “[Keilty and I] would spend hours going over the tape and coming up with new ways to put the boys in the best position to succeed.”

The relationships that Fair has built with the players extend well beyond the gym. Marcos Yones, a 2025 graduate from Lawrence, moved into Fair’s house for his last 18 months of high school.

“My wife and I literally consider them our fourth kid,” said Fair.

This season, he has the Royals off to a 4-1 start, losing a heartbreaker at the buzzer, 65-63, on the road against Lowell.

“We had a miscommunication on the last play,” Fair said. “The guys are already in the group chat, talking about it, owning it. So the accountability is incredible.”

Fair wants to get up and down, scoring a lot of points in the process. He has the group to do it, senior point guard Brendan Loewen, a returning Globe All-Scholastic, senior Irvin Zapata, who made seven 3’s in the state final, and junior Jomar Terrero, who has reached double figures in every game.

“They’ve been there. They’ve played in big environments. So we’re excited.”

Saturday, Lynn Classical vs. No. 7 St. Mary’s, Saturday, 11 a.m. (at Lynn English) — Senior forward Rolky Brea-Arias leads St. Mary’s against his old cohorts at Classical in a battle between unbeaten teams at the Boverini Tournament.

Saturday, Bedford vs. No. 18 Burlington, Saturday 3:15 p.m. (at Tewksbury) — These regional rivals are set to duel in the Tony Romano Christmas Tournament at Tewksbury.

Saturday, No. 20 Methuen vs. Greater Lawrence, 3:15 p.m. (at Merrimack College) — An intriguing matchup on the first day of the Commonwealth Motors Classic pits Methuen, which has started hot this winter, against a rising Greater Lawrence program.

Sunday, BC High at Archbishop Williams, 5 p.m. — The final game of the BABC/Slades Holiday Classic features host Archbishop Williams against perennial contender BC High.

Monday, Natick at Cambridge, 7 p.m. — Natick takes on the host Falcons at War Memorial Gymnasium in the semifinals of the Cambridge Legends Classic, with the winner scheduled to meet No. 2 Attleboro or defending D4 state champion Georgetown in Tuesday’s final.

Correspondent Henry Dinh-Price contributed to this story.

Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.