Ewing picks up pace to get by Princeton
EWING >> Though each leads its respective division of the Colonial Valley Conference, the Princeton and Ewing High girls basketball teams had different paces in mind when they met Friday at Emil Wandishin Gymnasium.
Defensively, both squads buckled down. When it came to the attack, however, the Tigers were looking for a more deliberate offense, while the Blue Devils wanted to open the floor.
Ewing’s style won out, 49-32, with the help of the kind of surges that come from a running offense.
“We got off to a 7-2 lead right away. Then things leveled off,” Blue Devils head coach Mike Reynolds said. “It was good to see our patience on the defensive end in the second half. That and our group rebounding helped us pull this out.”
For a team which has been playing a lot of big non-league games, Ewing’s win was its third consecutive over a tough CVC opponent. Meanwhile, it was just the second of the season for a much improved Princeton squad.
“We had an off day today,” Tigers head coach Dave Kosa said. “We needed to compete a little harder. I think (the Blue Devils’) athleticism and length bothered us, which isn’t like us.”
When the home team took its early five-point lead, Princeton battled back to knot the score midway through the first quarter. With the game tied, 9-9, and time running out in the quarter, Ella Kotsen grabbed an offensive rebound and led Shaylah Marciano for the go-ahead basket.
The Tigers (8-2) stretched their lead to 13-9 in the first three minutes of the second quarter, only to see MyAsia Jackson trim the edge to a point with a 3-point field goal. When Aaliyah Lewis hit a shot off the glass with 3:55 left, Ewing grabbed the lead to stay. It was all part of a 12-0 run, capped by seven consecutive points by Jaycee Lowe.
“In the second half, we were moving the ball around and staying focused,” said Lewis, a 5-foot-8 junior forward who turned in 12 points and 13 rebounds. “We kept our defense on point, and I tried to go strong on my layups.”
Lewis’ production was an added bonus to the 14 apiece scored by Lowe and Jackson.
Meanwhile, their defensive tenacity kept Princeton from getting anyone other than 5-10 senior forward Erin Devine in double figures.
“We really couldn’t get anyone into the offense, and our open shots didn’t fall,” said Devine, whose 12 points paced the visitors. “They’re a fast team, and they can throw over the top of the defense. Once they got going, it was hard to slow them down.”
Leading, 22-15, at the break, the Blue Devils (5-3) twice used a touchdown pass from Jackson to Lowe to extend their lead to 34-21 at the end of three quarters.
When the Tigers scored the first four points of the fourth, Ewing responded with a 10-4 burst, this time with Lewis scoring three baskets in a row, then assisting Jackson on the fastbreak to return the pace to the home team’s liking.
PRINCETON (32)
Dyevich 3-0-6, EDevine 4-4-12, AIntartaglia 1-0-3, OIntartaglia 2-0-4, Kotsen 0-0-0, Marciano 2-2-7, Petrone 0-0-0, HAllen 0-0-0.
Totals — 12-6-32.
EWING (49)
Lowe 5-3-14, MJackson 6-0-14, Sheridan 2-0-4, ALewis 6-0-12, Warner 1-0-2, Williams-Traylor 1-1-3, Britton 0-0-0.
Totals — 21-4-49.
Princeton(8-2) 11 4 6 11 — 32
Ewing (6-3) 9131215—49
3-point goals: AIntartaglia, Marciano (P), Lowe, MJackson 2 (E).