Van Houten spearheads MHS hoops effort
By: Bob Nuse
The Montgomery High girls’ basketball team makes no secret of the reason for its success.
"We know that to win we have to play good defense," Cougar senior Lindsay Van Houten said.
And when it comes to Montgomery basketball, nobody plays better defense than Van Houten.
"They all work hard and you have to have the girls buy into it," Montgomery coach Paul Popadiuk said. "I think they feed off each other and the heart and soul of it all is Lindsay. She brings an intensity to practice every day. And in games she takes pride in holding the other team’s best offensive player to 10 or 12 points a game.
"She’s done that the past two years and there have only been two or three games where the player has reached her average."
The latest example of the Cougars’ defense overall, and Van Houten’s in particular, came Tuesday night when Montgomery ran its record to 10-2 with a 35-30 win over Immaculata. The Cougars held Immaculata to just 11 baskets in the game, limiting the Spartans’ leading scorer, Kaitlin Fiorino, to seven points.
"I love playing defense," said Van Houten, who has been the Cougars’ starting goalie in soccer the past four years. "I feel like that is the one area where I excel and contribute the most to the team. I like playing man to man defense and trying to take the other team’s best player out of her game.
"I think I’m very vocal when I play and very intense during the games. Everyone feeds off each other and we just seem to play well on defense."
Van Houten has shown that when called upon to do so, she has the ability to score. She had four points in the win over Immaculata, which is right at her season average. But she also knows that with talented offensive players like Megan Fox, Ali Tartacoff and Tori Sensi in the lineup, she can focus most her attention to defense.
"You just have to push yourself and know that you have to play hard," Van Houten said. "I have a lot of pride in my defense and I have to live up to it every game. I think that my experience with soccer plays a little into how I play defense in basketball. My footwork and toughness and defensive approach have helped me a lot.
"Offense is the component of the game I’ve tried to focus on more this year. I know I’ve been consistent on defense in the past. This year I wanted to be able to add some offense to my game. When I get my shot, I want to be able to make it. This year I’ve really worked on my offense."
But whether she scores 10 points, four points or no points, Van Houten always makes a contribution to the Cougars’ success.
"It take a different kind of breed to want to play that kind of defense and she is it," said Popadiuk, whose team will play at Watchung Hills tonight. "She has earned her nickname, ‘Truck.’ She plays aggressive and fights through screens. She’s a tough player."
That toughness has helped Montgomery put together yet another outstanding season. The win over Immaculata keeps the Cougars right in the thick of the Skyland Conference Delaware East race. And with the Somerset County Tournament on the horizon, the Cougars are hoping for more success down the line.
"I know Pops has been excited about this team for a while," Van Houten said. "He’s been looking at us since we were in the sixth grade and we went to his camp in middle school. Even then he felt like we were something special if we worked hard and we played hard. If we do that, we feel like we can take any game we play."
So far, Montgomery has done that 10 of the 12 times it has taken the court. And there is no secret to the way it’s been done with a defense that yields just 37 points a game.
"Defense is our strength," said Popadiuk, whose team was led by Fox’s 11 points against Immaculata. "We have some good offensive players. But we also have a group of girls that are committed to playing good defense. And in the end, that’s how you win games."

