Panthers show rapid improvement

PDS boys’ basketball wins two straight

By: Bob Nuse
   Matt Levinson hoped to see his Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team make strides over the course of the season.
   He never expected to see those strides come this fast.
   After dropping their opener to Pennington, the youthful Panthers have bounced back with a pair of wins — the latest a 48-40 win over George School on Tuesday.
   "In three games we have seen an incredible improvement," said Levinson, whose team led 20-11 at halftime, fell behind in the third quarter, then held on for the win. "We were in a late-game situation against Pennington and we didn’t hit our free throws. Against Morrisville we made some pretty painful late-game mistakes, which we talked to them about in practice. And then today we executed in the late-game situation. We made our free throws down the stretch. We handled the ball pretty well. So in three games we have made a lot of progress."
   PDS is making the progress with a roster full of young players. There are veterans, such as Andrew Dowdie, Zach Schectel and C.J. Martino, but there are also key freshmen. Kenny Holzhammer scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter as the Panthers turned a one-point lead into a nine-point lead. Freshman Dylan Kelly and sophomore Antione Hoppenot handled the ball under pressure as George mounted a comeback.
   "We are so young and we are going to play through these games," Levinson said. "We withstood that 12-0 run at the start of the third quarter. In the first half we held them to 11 points. That’s the kind of effort that we want every night. Every game different guys step up. Today, Dylan Kelly came through and handled the ball well. Holzhammer had a huge stretch for us. Anthony Farina came in and gave us great minutes when Zach got in foul trouble."
   Levinson is the Panthers’ third head coach in four years, which has made it tough for the veteran players on the roster. But so far this season, they see stability coming into the program.
   "We’ve had a different coach every year," said junior C.J. Martino, who had nine points and 11 rebounds in the win over George. "I’m really happy with Mr. Levinson as a coach. The reason we won tonight was he really had us prepared. We had three weeks of practice before our first game and we really meshed as a team. We have a diversified offense this year. In our first three games, I think three different players may have led us in scoring. We have freshmen who step out onto the floor and play like more experienced players.
   "When we all come together in practice we’re all focused together. We can come out and show a lot of improvement and work hard to make sure everything we do is as a team. We eat lunch together on game days. When we come out we make sure everything is intense."
   The Panthers have certainly seen it all come together in the first three games this season. The win over George, which had beaten Pennington earlier this season, was particularly satisfying. And the fact they held off a strong second half run by George made the win that much more impressive.
   "We expected a run, but we were ready for it," said Martino, a Hillsborough resident. "We came out focused and prepared. We didn’t get flustered. Throughout the entire game we kept our focus and didn’t let ourselves get flustered. We had different guys step in and do a great job."
   Holzhammer led the way with 15 points, while Hoppenot chipped in with 12. But, as should be the case most of the season, this was a win where everyone contributed.