Casey’s girls strike for 7th straight Prep A title

The Peddie basketball team defeated Lawrenceville 73-35 in the Prep A title game.

By: Kyle Moylan
   PRINCETON TOWNSHIP — Peddie Coach Sean Casey looked off to the side and replayed the action from the 1997 Prep A state title game as if he were looking at it live.
   "Down two points with 11 seconds to go against Mount St. Dominick’s," Casey started. "Lauren Kokotajlo’s jumper for three points wins it. My wife (an assistant coach for Peddie at the time) told me to go for three and Kokotajlo drops it in."
   Little could Casey have known what was started at the time. This past Saturday, Peddie won its seventh straight Prep A championship. And it didn’t take a three-pointer in the final seconds to make Peddie champs.
   Christina Campion scored 21 points, Crystal Goring 16, Bridgette Mitchell nine and Whitney Douthett seven as Peddie defeated Lawrenceville, 73-35, in the Prep A title game Saturday.
   This is the type of score that was expected. Wins are expected from the Peddie School, which finished the season with a 21-2 record. Even so, Casey is doing his best to make sure expectations don’t start to overshadow the team’s accomplishments.
   "I don’t take it for granted," Casey said. "Every year it’s a new start, a new championship. We don’t dwell on the past."
   Peddie probably will start the 2003-2004 season as the favorite to win the Prep A championship, but it will be a team with a very different look. Gone will be Christina Campion (a four-year starter and the school’s all-time leading scorer for boys or girls with 1,618 points), Whitney Douthett (a four-year starter), Laura Giusto (a three-year varsity member), Jen Stever and Kindyll Dorsey.
   This past Saturday, Peddie had a little extra to play for than usual. At a time of the game when the bench may have been emptied or the team would have slowed the pace, Peddie was trying to get Campion the school’s scoring mark.
   Campion struggled in the first half, putting in only five points.
   "I was rushing my shot a little bit," Campion noted. "They (Lawrenceville) really play hard. I don’t think I got one good look at the basket."
   The half ended with Peddie up just 29-14. Lawrenceville kept the deficit at 15 points, 45-30, heading into the fourth quarter.
   With Lawrenceville starting to overplay Campion, Peddie went inside to Goring for a pair of quick baskets to open the fourth. Once Peddie established it was willing to go to someone else, it actually became a lot easier to get Campion the ball.
   Campion made three field goals and a pair of free throws. With over three minutes to play, she needed just one point to set the mark. Campion got that point on a free throw with 1:56 to play. The game was stopped and she was greeted with various gifts. In fitting Campion style, she then made the ensuing free throw before coming out of the game.
   Up 68-34 with just under two minutes to play, Peddie went heavily to its bench and just continued to build on its lead.
   After the game, Campion let it be known she wished the team could take part in the state tournament for the public schools. If not that, a game against Willingboro would have been ideal. After all, the two teams have headed almost every list ranking the girls’ basketball games in the state.
   This is what Peddie wanted. Another Prep A title, tournaments around the country and match-ups against top-ranked teams next year also are on the want list. Casey may want these things as well, but he wants everyone to know he’s very appreciative of what he and his team has.
   "Success does beget success," Casey noted. "With that there are expectations. The kids have expectations. We are trying to enjoy the moment, though. We want to enjoy this championship. Next year will take care of itself."
   Ever since Lauren Kokotajlo’s three-pointer, it always has at Peddie.