Red Raiders take break from hardwood

Pennington girls basketball

By: Mike Molaro
   When the holidays roll around and the schedule has a lot of open dates, coaches walk the fine line between giving their players some time off and ensuring that they stay sharp and ready to play when they return.
   For The Pennington School girls basketball squad, the calendar shows two weeks between games. That’s enough time for the Red Raiders to get a week away from the hardwood before getting back to practice for their Dec. 29 match-up against Colonial Valley Conference opponent Lawrence in the opening game of Hopewell Valley’s John Molinelli Memorial Tournament.
   Pennington (4-2) fell to Rutgers Prep 41-31 on Dec. 14 as the Argonauts used their height advantage for a 21-5 third-quarter surge to put the game away. Junior forwards Meghan Reed and Keri Washington led the Red Raiders with 11 and eight points, respectively.
   "They are very tall and hit the offensive boards in the third quarter," said co-head coach Joe Fanning, who guided the team in the absence of Dean Waters. "They had eight offensive rebounds in that quarter. We didn’t shoot very well. We had good shots, but they didn’t fall.
   "The effort was great. We can’t match up with them size-wise. I think there were things at both end of the floor that we could’ve done better than we did."
   The Red Raiders, who return to the gym this afternoon, had a week off to get their second breath and come back fired up and ready for the Cardinals.
   "The week gave the girls a chance to get away from basketball for awhile," Fanning said. "We don’t have to worry about the girls coming back out of shape. They are focused, and they are a great group of girls."
   Pennington, the defending Prep B state champions, is beginning to gel into a team ready to make another run deep into the state tournament.
   "We are starting to establish an identity," Fanning said. "I’m happy with the style we are playing. We just need to get better. The girls are working hard. We are getting good leadership, and we are coming along."
   Wearing that bull’s eye on their backs doesn’t faze the Red Raiders in the least. Being the hunted keeps them loose, and they realize what happened a year ago is in the record books.
   "The girls aren’t feeling the pressure of being state champs," Fanning said. "I think they’re having a lot of fun coming to practice and playing the games. I think there’s more pressure when you’re losing and people start pointing fingers at your team.
   "We don’t talk much about last year unless we reference a specific opponent. This is a new team and a new identity."