Hightstown runs past Lawrence to start season in Peto’s memory
HIGHTSTOWN » When Jim Peto unexpectedly passed away last Thursday, the Hightstown boys basketball team wanted to honor the school’s popular athletic director this season.
The Rams intend to do that not simply by winning games. They also have a new playing style that Peto suggested would be ideal under the unique COVID-19 circumstances.
Running what coach Don DeLeo describes as “Kentucky platoon system meets Grinnell College,” Hightstown wore down visiting Lawrence on Tuesday, 63-50, in the opener to kick off a shortened six-week season that, at least for now, will be without fans in gyms.
In layman’s terms, here’s the gist: Five fresh players sub in every 45 to 90 seconds. The team pushes the pace. A shot goes up in 10 seconds or less per possession. And there will be 3-point attempts — a lot of them.
“Ultimately right now in a year where the kids have been on a 10-month pause, my late AD and I talked about participation and how could we find a way to get more guys on the floor with 15 games?” DeLeo said. “This was his idea. He said, ‘Listen, would you consider a platoon?’ I’m like, ‘You know what, Jim? I would love to do it.’ We said, ‘Listen, we’re going to condition. We’re going to defend and we’re going to run and we’re going to shoot 3s, so a really fun style.”
The plan worked to a tee in the first game, especially considering Hightstown graduated 10 seniors and had only two weeks to practice under the NJSIAA’s health guidelines.
Sophomore Keenan Reiss led 13 different Hightstown scorers with 11 points, including three of the team’s 12 3-pointers.
“I think it’s fun because we have a new person that could bring more energy to the team when they come into the game and just be ready,” Reiss said. “We have a lot of different players that can do multiple things for the team. Most of us are shooters so we all can play that spot. We all knew
we had to push ourselves during practice just to be ready for this point.”
DeLeo is counting on big things from the 6-foot-2 guard, who is the younger brother of the recently graduated Kyle Reiss. The Rams are out to prove they can maintain the program’s high level despite losing so much talent from last winter’s 21-7 squad.
“Towards the end of last year, we actually moved him up to varsity for the state playoffs and wanted him to get some experience and kind of see how it’s done,” DeLeo said. “We knew that he was going to be athletic, really worked hard over the summer with his AAU program to get more skilled.”
Hightstown also features senior Ayden Hogan, who had six points and is the team’s best defender, and senior Spencer Kenny, one of the team’s best passers at 6-foot-4.
Junior Jordon Shropshire-Sands had eight points in the win, while seniors Rohan Cukkemane and Ali Ahmed each netted six.
Hightstown’s offensive depth and defensive pressure were too much for Lawrence to handle after seven first-half lead changes ended with a 29-29 halftime time.
The Rams had better pace down the stretch and began the third quarter with a 10-2 run. They led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter.
But Lawrence had only one week of practice because of health protocols, and the Cardinals flashed some
young talent to harness moving forward. Sophomores Brandon Ford and Greg Watson combined for 24 points.
“Hats off to Coach (Jeff) Molinelli over at Lawrence,” DeLeo said. “I thought they were in much better shape than you would think. Hats off to them for practicing for this. But I thought that us having that extra week kind of helped our legs a little bit down the stretch.”
Hightstown is scheduled to next host Ewing on Friday, while Lawrence travels to face Steinert that same day.
While there won’t be any state playoffs this year, the Rams intend to make the most of their chance to be on the court and play the way that Peto would have been proud to see.
The team’s @HightstownHoops Twitter account has begun using the hashtag #Play4Peto.
“We’re going to dedicate the season to him since he put his life for us to have this opportunity,” Reiss said. “I just knew that since this is the first game back from the (COVID-19) break, I had to push myself and show out.”
Linson 3-1-7, Ford 6-0-13, Watson 4-0-11, Barnes 2-1-5, Mitchell-White 3-0-6, Akhiem 2-0-4, GibbonsThomas 2-0-4.
Totals — 22-2-50.
Kenny 0-1-1, Cukkemane 2-0-6, Ahmed 2-0-6, Reiss 4-0-11, Simmons 2-0-5, Basse 1-0-2, ShropshireSands 3-0-8, Minzie 2-0-5, Eaves 2-0-4, Hogan 2-0-6, Sales 1-0-2, Alford 1-0-2, Wersching 2-0-5. Totals — 25-1-63.
Lawrence (0-1) 20 9 6 15 — 50 Hightstown (1-0) 15 14 17 17 — 63
3-point goals: Watson 3, Ford (L), Reiss 3, Cukkemane 2, Hogan 2, Shropshire-Sands 2, Simmons, Minzie, Wersching (H).