Knights top Howell for first win
By: Bob Nuse
As the season progresses, West Windsor-Plainsboro High North boys’ basketball coach Eric Becker expects his team to continue to get better.
On Tuesday night, the Knights showed just how much progress they had made from their first game to their second, holding off a late Howell rally for a 49-42 win, evening their record at 1-1. WW-P North had opened the season with a 72-51 loss to Steinert on Friday.
"It was our first win and it’s always nice to get that first win," said Becker, whose team led by as many as 15 points in the second half, only to see Howell close within one point with two minutes left in the game. "I thought we responded well after Friday. The kids had a great attitude. We had a tough game against a quality team in Steinert, but we came back tonight with a good attitude and got our first win."
In the opener at Steinert, senior Brian Sufalko scored 32 of the Knights’ 51 points. In the win over Howell, Sufalko led a balanced offense with 11 points, as Connor Hayes added nine and Mike Pilgrim and Mike Meirowitz had eight apiece.
"We’re slowly working on coming around as a team," said Meirowitz, who scored all eight of his points in the second half. "We’re working on moving the ball around and making sure we get open shots. We had a balanced offense tonight and I think that helped us."
The balance on offense helped the Knights break open a close game with a 15-0 run late in the first half to take a 28-15 lead at the break. North’s lead grew to 32-17 before Howell cut it to 38-32 by the end of the third quarter. The Knights saw their lead shrink to one on a couple of occasions down the stretch, but they never let Howell get even.
"They made a run and I thought we responded well," said Becker, whose team shot just 10 of 22 from the foul line in the game. "Our defense picked us up and we got some key steals down the stretch. I thought Mike Pilgrim did a nice job on the boards and he also blocked a few shots. He made some key plays for us down the stretch.
"I was proud of our effort. I thought we came back nicely after they made their run and we never let them take the lead. Hopefully this win will carry over to our next game. We’re focused right now and hopefully that will continue."
The Knights lost some key players to graduation from the team that qualified for the state tournament last year, but return a big scorer in Sufalko and their top rebounder in Pilgrim. Add in players like Meirowitz, who do the little things well, and the ingredients are there for success.
"Mike is someone who just goes out and plays and always plays hard," Becker said of Meirowitz. "I give him a lot of credit. He does a nice job for us every game. Tonight he hit a couple key shots for us in the second half and he made some nice plays on defense. He stepped up. That’s the kind of team we have this year."
"That’s the way I’ve always been," added Meirowitz, who recently decided to attend Lafayette College, where he plans to play for the lacrosse team. "I try to do the things that will help us win. If the shot is there I’ll take it. I just try to do whatever the team needs me to do."
That’s the way he has played on the lacrosse field for three years as well as the basketball court. And while his athletic future is on the lacrosse field, he’s not ready to stop thinking about basketball just yet.
"I like them both," Meirowitz said. "I’ve been playing basketball since I was in fifth grade on the travel teams and I still love to play. I know after this year I’m not going to play anymore, so I want us to do well in my senior year."