Game against Steinert High School. PHS-73; SHS-47

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-Princeton High School extended its winning streak to 6 games by pounding Steinert High School. 

The first quarter started out slow for the Little Tigers, as it commonly has this year. They allowed Steinert to be within five at the end of one, 20-15. However, during the second quarter PHS went on a 16-9 run to go into halftime leading 36-24.

From the third quarter to the end of the game, PHS controlled the tempo. They never relinquished the lead they had had from the opening tip-off. In the fourth quarter PHS went on a 12-0 run to virtually end all hopes of a Steinert comeback. 

DeQuan Holman led the scoring with 23 points and added 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Skye Ettin had 17 points and 5 rebounds and Brian Dunlap had 16 points including 6 for 6 from the foul line. He also had 9 assists. 

From the start, the usually solid Steinert team looked overmatched by PHS's ball pressure and suffocating defense. This defense ranks second in the CVC behind only W-W South. The Little Tigers lead the league in offense. 

EXTRA NOTES: Davon Black, a freshman for PHS came off the bench in the last minute of Tuesday's victory and scored the first varsity points of his high school career. Sophomore Eamon Cuddy saw his first action of the season, but he did not score.  

Game against Princeton Day School. PHS-83; PDS-47

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-Mission accomplished.

As a result of a 36 point victory against cross-town rival Princeton Day School, Princeton High School not only won its fifth game in a row, all by double digits, it clinched a spot in the New Jersey State Playoff tournament.

All the painstaking practices, film sessions and weight lifting have paid off for the playoff bound PHS Little Tigers. However, as nice as a playoff spot is, head coach Jason Carter has made it clear that they are not yet done. Ideally, PHS wants to clinch a home playoff game, which hasn't been done since 1995, when Carter was a player at PHS.

The dedicated fan base helped to make PHS's "away" game into a virtual home game. It is this reason, this "6th" man that makes a home playoff game so important.

Trips to PDS's gym elicit memories of PHS's first round Mercer County Tournament Victory last year. But also, their annual game is a contest to determine which Princeton area High School reigns supreme in the realm of basketball. It is also the reuniting of PDS star player Joe Rogers and his former school. The 5th year senior left PHS two years ago to join the PDS squad. In Monday's game, Rogers accumulated 6 points and a technical foul and then left the game.

This game surely lived up to the chippiness level of many of the past contests between these bitter rivals. PDS had two technical fouls and one intentional foul while PHS was able to keep its composure knowing that it had its adoring fans to get their backs.

In a surprisingly close first quarter, it was Brian "Dirty" Dunlap that hit a three pointer at the buzzer to keep the momentum in PHS's direction. From that point on it was easy sailing and Carter was able to rest his starting five in the third game of a 6 games in 9 day stretch. The bench for PHS found it hard to score points while conceding too many of them to PDS.

The aforementioned Brian Dunlap led the scoring with 23 points including 6 assists and 5 steals. Skye Ettin followed with 18 points and 7 rebounds and DeQuan Holman had 14 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Game against Voorhees High School. PHS-64; VHS-50

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-Problem solved. Throughout the course of this season Princeton High School's biggest problem had been slow starts. Not on this day, however. Facing a tough, out of conference opponent the Little Tigers went on a 25-0 run in the first quarter to make short work of Voorhees High School.

Voorhees (6-3) looked confused by PHS' ball pressure, which resulted in many turnovers. VHS, who had beaten Montgomery the game before, looked ill prepared for its game against PHS' speed, quickness, and pace.

Leading up to the Voorhees game, PHS head coach Jason Carter instilled in the minds of his players that Voorhees was a very good team and that this game would provide a measuring stick for the season. However, none of the players thought that they would win this easily.

The score after the first quarter was 28-4 PHS. Despite the large lead, Carter wanted to keep the pressure on. He knew that Voorhees had the capability to play much better than they were and he feared a comeback.

With 2:45 left in the second quarter, PHS took its largest lead of the game, 29 points, 39-10. At half time the Little Tigers led 39-12.

In the third quarter, Voorhees played more like itself. They outscored PHS 18-11 to cut the PHS lead to 50-30 after the third quarter. However, Voorhees got itself into foul trouble early in the second half, and the anomalously stellar foul shooting by PHS allowed the Little Tigers to keep their double digit lead. A below average free throw shooting team for much of the year the Little Tigers were 15-19 (78.9%)in this contest.

In the 4th quarter, Voorhees showed their real skill, outscoring PHS 20-14. However, PHS already had too large a lead to overcome.

It was the first quarter in this game that both created a big lead and demoralized Voorhees that won the game for PHS. This also shows how important quick starts are.

DeQuan Holman, after spending his morning taking the SATs, arrived at gametime and scored 19 points with 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Skye Ettin followed with 15 points, and Brian Dunlap had 14 points including 5 for 5 from the foul line.

PHS (8-3) will take on Princeton Day School (2-8) in a big rivalry game on Monday, January 26 at PDS's gym. Game time is 5:30.

Spaghetti Dinner, February 11

On February 11, the Princeton High School boy's basketball team is hosting a spaghetti dinner to raise money for its program. There will be two seatings. The first will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and the late seating will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. For adults the ticket price is $8 and for children age 12 and under the ticket price is $5. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket for this event please see a member of any one of the three basketball teams. The dinner will be held in the Princeton High School cafeteria. Please make checks payable to the PHS Basketball Booster Club.

Game against West Windsor Plainsboro North High School. PHS-73; WWPN-56

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-Going on the road in the Colonial Valley Conference is never easy. But against West Windsor North Princeton High School tamed its unfamiliar surroundings with hard nosed defense and an explosive offense, always the recipe for success away from home. The convincing seventeen point victory improved the Little Tigers record to 7-3.

Once again, PHS did not come out to start the game with the intensity and high quality play they exhibited later in the game. This tendency of getting off to slow starts has become a dangerous pattern for PHS. The Little Tigers ended the first quarter with a 15-9 lead. However, as the game progressed PHS cranked it up considerably. The traveling PHS fans made the tough conference road game a virtual home game.

Leading at halftime 32-20. PHS knew that its former assistant coach Dale Florio, now the head man at WW-P, was going to have his team playing hard in the second half. PHS needed to match and then surpass North's intensity. They did just that.

Midway through the third quarter PHS extended its lead to 18 points and ended the third quarter leading North 52-37. This 15 point lead however, turned very quickly into an 8 point lead. But because North had entered the penalty with their fouls fairly early in the half PHS was able to close the game out from the free throw line. PHS, although not a great foul shooting team, with a free throw percentage of 60%, was able to convert enough from the line to close out the game. Overall PHS went 22 for 34 (65%) from the line.

Any time a team can win a conference game on the road, it is an accomplishment. Even more of an accomplishment is holding the usually high scoring Knights to only 56 points.

DeQuan Holman lead the scoring with 18 points, Brian Dunlap followed with 17 points and 4 assists. Skye Ettin had a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Thatcher Foster added 11 points including a clutch 3 for 3 from the foul line.

PHS will take on Vorhees High School on Saturday, January 24 at 1:00 in the Princeton High School gym.

Game against Allentown High School (NJ) PHS-67; AHS-35

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-Allentown High is typically in the lower tier of the Colonial Valley Conference. In a game PHS expected to win, the Little Tigers, perhaps overconfident, got off to a slow start. As the first quarter unfolded things were a little too close for comfort.

After going up 12-0 with 3:51 left in the first quarter, PHS allowed Allentown to climb back into the game ending the quarter on an 8-2 run to cut the Princeton lead to four, 12-8.

PHS continued its bad habit of starting out slowly allowing Allentown to have a little hope as the second quarter played out. After the Little Tigers took a 25-9 with 4:31 left in the half, Allentown scored 9 more points in the quarter to PHS's 5 sending the Little Tigers into the locker room with a 30-18 halftime lead.

Obviously disappointed by its first half performance, PHS knew it had to play its kind of basketball--fast breaks, hard-nosed defense and immense ball pressure It is the third quarter that exemplified the type of team that PHS has the potential to be.

After Allentown scored a basket in the first 17 seconds of the third quarter to cut the PHS lead to ten, PHS went on to score the next 35 consecutive points to extend its lead to 65-20. Shortly thereafter head coach, Jason Carter, emptied his bench. In garbage time, Allentown finished out the game with on a 15-2 run making the final score a little more respectable.

Skye Ettin led the scoring with 26 points, followed by Brian Dunlap's 14 points and 5 assists and DeQuan Holman's 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Game against Northern Burlington High School. PHS-68; NBHS-51

BY JAMIE PERETZMAN-To avoid going 0-3 in what was arguably their most difficult week of the season, Princeton High School thought of its game against Northern Burlington as a must win.

Following two heartbreaking losses where the lead was lost late in the game on both occasions, the rout of Northern Burlington was much welcomed. PHS just wanted to salvage one win before heading into the meat of its CVC schedule.

One player in particular stepped up to this challenge of persevering through physical and mental weariness. DeQuan Holman, following two mediocre games, dropped 35 points on Northern Burlington, a career high.

If you consider the opposite of PHS' performances against Notre Dame and Trenton that would be the Northern Burlington game. The Little Tigers made 52% of their field goals, grabbed 19 total rebounds and made 14 out of 19 free throws. (74%) PHS also decreased its recent habit of over-dribbling and moved the ball around with great effectiveness, hitting wide open lay-ups a majority of the time. The reason for this turnaround is because PHS went back to the basics for this game. The motion offense was only put in this season and following two consecutive losses, PHS went back to its basic offensive sets. They also pressured the athletically inferior Northern Burlington and forced them to commit many turnovers.

In addition to his 35 points DeQuan Holman added 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 6 steals. Skye Ettin had 13 points, and 4 rebounds and Brian Dunlap had 10 points including 6 for 6 from the free throw line, 5 assists and 4 steals.

Princeton High School (5-3) will host Allentown High School on Tuesday, January, 20 at 6:00 in an effort to break its 2 game CVC losing streak.