Hightstown grinds out road win at Princeton
PRINCETON » Two games into a new season, Hightstown boys basketball coach Matt Durstewitz is cautiously optimistic.
The Rams are aiming to drive the program back to the level it was at two years ago, when Hightstown won 20 games and made a deep run in the Mercer County Tournament.
Led by seven seniors and a pair of multi-year starters in Jamal Anderson and Jaquan Owens, the Rams have a 2-0 record so far coming off an 11-14 season of unfortunate circumstances.
“They know what it takes to win because they were on a winning squad, and last year we lost a lot of tough games,” Durstewitz said. “You can’t really win games until you learn how to lose games, so if we can take our experience from last year and put it together, we’ve got a nice core.”
After opening the season Tuesday with a 78-70 victory at West Windsor North, Hightstown won another hard-fought road game Thursday at Princeton, 51-39.
Most encouraging for the Rams was that they did so despite 0-of-15 shooting from 3. They had converted 7-of-15 from deep against North, so Hightstown needed to persevere with defense and find a different winning formula.
Princeton sat back in a 2-3 zone most of the game, and the Rams didn’t consistently force enough live ball turnovers to get out and run with their speedy guards.
“Shots weren’t falling and the kids were getting a little upset,” Durstewitz said. “We just told them, ‘The inside of the zone is where you’re going to beat it.’ And they focused on trying to get it inside and working to get layups.”
Senior Shane Ragland, who spent the last two seasons sidelined with a severe recurring knee injury, had a career night off the bench with 15 points (12 in the first half). The 6-foot-2 forward excelled on the glass and powered through traffic underneath, converting multiple three-point plays.
Opposing 6-foot-4 forward Jaylen Johnson paced Princeton with 15 points of his own.
“Shane played fantastic,” Durstewitz said. “He’s been a part of the program the whole time, but he just hasn’t been able to play due to injury. He got the job done today playing against a tough big man. He was able to finish at the basket.”
Point guard Ben Simon added nine points and dished out a few assists, including one to a cutting Anderson along the baseline to push Hightstown’s lead to double digits late in the fourth quarter.
The sophomore earned a promotion from JV late last season and is now a key cog of Hightstown’s up-tempo offense.
“He’s a good distributor,” Durstewitz said. “He’s still young, so he’s still learning as he goes. He’s not making rookie mistakes anymore, but he holds himself to a high standard. He wants to get the job done. Sometimes he presses a little bit too much, but he’s already developing into a great leader. Him and Jamal work really together, and they pick each other up when someone has a bad night. That’s important.”
Hightstown next plays in the Hillsborough Holiday Classic on Wednesday. After opening with Hillsborough, the Rams will either take on Hunterdon Central or West Orange on Thursday.
Hightstown has also picked up New Egypt (Jan. 20) on its schedule this season.
“You want a tough out of conference schedule so that when it comes time to going on the road in a (state) tournament or going on the road in the Mercer County Tournament, you’re seasoned,” Durstewitz said. “You want those tough games.”
Princeton, meanwhile, will head to Montgomery next Wednesday to play Medford Tech in its holiday tournament. The Little Tigers (1-2) will come to Hightstown on Jan. 23 for a CVC Colonial Division rematch.
“It’s always tough to come to Princeton and play here. They always play good defense,” Durstewitz said. “We won a game where we shot 11-for-23 from the foul line and didn’t make a 3-point shot. So all things considered, you’ve got to take the good with the bad.”
Choice 0-1-1, Felizor 3-0-6, Anderson 3-2-8, Ragland 6-3-15, Owens 3-0-6, Simon 3-3-9, Shropshire-Sands 2-1-5, Clark 0-1-1.
20-11-51.
Totals —
Rougas 3-0-7, Johnson 5-5-15, Doran 2-0-5, Jakisa 2-2-6, Tarter 1-0-2, Jackson 2-0-4.
Totals —
17-7-39.
Hightstown (2-0) 12 Princeton (1-2) 8 15 12 9 11 15 — 8 —
Rougas, Doran (P).
51 39