Little Tigers reach rare win total, take MCT shots for more
By: Justin Feil
Tiffany Schuler never thought it would be so hard to see the end to her senior season.
With the seventh and eighth wins by the Princeton High girls’ basketball team last week, Schuler is thrilled with the way her final year with the Little Tigers is ending, but sad to see it end.
"I really wasn’t expecting anything from this season," Schuler said. "I’m so used to three wins, four wins. We did so well. It was a pleasant surprise. It’s a lot harder to walk away. I get along with everyone on the team. It’s sad that it’ll be over. It’s the last week."
Schuler isn’t even getting greedy as the Little Tigers head into the only post-season action they’ll have, the Mercer County Tournament, which they were scheduled to open at Hamilton on Monday. Win or lose, they will finish the season with MCT games Wednesday and Friday. And with three games in the final week, the opportunity is there for double-digit wins.
"It would be so awesome," Schuler said. "It would be awesome if that happens. Eight wins is pretty awesome. I’m satisfied. If we win more, that would be great."
Already the Little Tigers’ eight wins equals a total last achieved in the 1997-98 season. The last two came when PHS held on for a 40-38 win over Stuart on Thursday behind 29 points from Erin Cook and a 36-29 win over New Egypt on Friday with Cook going for 19 points. Schuler may not have been the high scorer in those games, but her main role is something she understands well.
"Passing," Schuler said, "giving the ball to the people who can shoot, like Erin. Definitely, it’s passing."
"She kind of does the things that you don’t see on the stats," said PHS head coach Nikki Inzano. "She’ll do a lot more than you see. She has steals and assists. She does a lot of things."
Schuler, who doesn’t regard herself as a pure point guard, is part of a four-player senior class that is enjoying as much success as any has in the past seven years. She is joined by Kaamilah Parker, Zoe Sarnak and Sarah LaVoie They were honored at the New Egypt game in their final regularly schedule home game.
"It went by so quickly," Schuler said. "I can’t believe it’s over. This week and it’s done. It was pretty awesome to win on Senior Night. I can’t remember the last time we did that."
There have been plenty of new things turned over this season. Schuler’s consistent play has helped. She was an occasional starter from the beginning of the season for the Little Tigers, but moved into a full-time role when Sarnak was injured. Schuler played so well that she remained a starter.
"She kind of stepped it up last year at the end of season," Inzano said. "When Zoe wasn’t there, she was our main starter."
Sarnak’s injury may have taken away some of the Little Tigers’ depth, but it helped bring along Schuler, who’s enjoyed her best season yet for the team.
"I got a lot of minutes," Schuler said. "I did my job when Zoe was out and did my hardest. It helped me a lot. My confidence was up. I got to play a lot. And I did well."
Schuler is hoping that solid play continues for two more games. Inzano, too, would love to see her Little Tigers play start to finish the way they’re capable of.
"It’s actually the third and fourth quarters where we’ve had trouble," said Inzano, whose squad was 8-13 going into Monday’s game. "We come out and we’re just not there. We play such a good first half and then we don’t show up."
It’s frustrating for Inzano and for the players, who have hung tough in the first half of games, even with area powers like Trenton and Notre Dame.
"It’s like we’re giving our all in the first half, then we just couldn’t keep it up," Schuler said. "Teams like Trenton, they ran on us. Usually, it’s the third quarter that kills us the most. Once we get over that, we’ll be OK."
What the Little Tigers do hold strength in is a continually developing defense. Their zone defense has given some teams fits, and PHS hopes its man-to-man defense will someday be as successful.
"They always pick it up on defense," Inzano said. "Our offense will be there. We have to play defense to stop other teams. Our offense needs a little work here and there. They just need to improve more on that."
Schuler has noticed a big change in Inzano’s second season at the helm. She and the Little Tigers were more devoted in the off-season when they played in a summer league. And just knowing Inzano’s style has helped both the team and Inzano pull things together faster this season.
"I just worked a lot," Schuler said of her preparation for this year. "I knew all the plays. Knowing the plays and what Coach Inzano wanted has helped.
"Coach Inzano knows what she’s doing. She knows how our defense plays. She knows what works. She knows our skills, and what we need to work on."
The Little Tigers have proven that their skill level is level of play have both risen this year. That should help in the MCT. What also should help is a competitive draw in the MCT because the Little Tigers frequently play to the level of their competition. That can be good or bad. Luckily this year, there’s been plenty more good moments to remember, including a special Senior Night for Schuler and her classmates.
"They were emotional before the game," Inzano said. "I think it’s for those kids, they’re proud of what they did this year. In the past three years, they haven’t done much. For them to step it up, they’ve improved themselves."
So much so that it’s going to make for an ending to a season that the Little Tigers would rather see continue on and on. Though that won’t happen, there’s plenty to be proud of as the PHS girls’ basketball team looks to close out its best season in nearly a decade.
"It’s exciting," Schuler said. "It’s just weird to be 8-13. We usually only win three games. We all just get along and connect on the court. It works well."

