HHS boys’ basketball rallies for fourth win

By: Sean Moylan
   The Hightstown High School boys’ varsity basketball team probably played its worst game of the season versus Palmyra in the opener of the Pitman Holiday Tournament this past Wednesday.
   Yet although they didn’t bring their "A" game, the Rams were still more than talented enough to blast the Panthers, 61-40, which set up yesterday’s (Thursday) scheduled showdown between Hightstown and Pitman in the championship game.
   "After the first quarter we were behind 13-10 and then they (the Panthers) scored the first four points of the second quarter to go up 17-10," said Hightstown head coach Don Hess. "We had 23 turnovers and we missed 10 foul shots (Hightstown was 12-for-22 from the line). We didn’t play very well, but we still won."
   One of the reasons Hightstown was able to emerge victorious was it was making big plays in key situations. So after Palmyra’s early second-quarter run, Hightstown got out of its funk and went on a 17-1 run of its own to take a 28-17 lead at the half.
   "Michael Williston had three steals in the last 30 seconds before the half which led to six points," said Hess.
   Williston, who led all scorers with 20 points, dished off nine assists in the contest.
   Although he was in foul trouble much of the way, Bryan Mino Worth, nevertheless, scored 11 points (9 in the fourth quarter), made three steals and grabbed five boards for Hightstown. Tim Lawson netted 11 points and collected seven rebounds.
   The Rams also got some significant contributions from their role and bench players. Jason Brown had a strong all-around game with 7 points, three rebounds and three steals. Kevin Sobkowiak netted 4 points, posted four assists and pulled down four boards. Cory Smith also had a strong passing game and tallied 4 points while Terrell Choice (2 points) and Bobby Doughery (2 points) also contributed to the win.
   What made all the turnovers in the Palmyra game seem all the more strange was the fact that Hightstown was coming off a terrific, nearly mistake-free 40-23 home win over Steinert.
   The Rams used a good old reliable formula of defense and balanced scoring to walk away with victory.
   "We held them (the Spartans) to zero points in the third quarter," said Hess, whose team held Steinert to 8 or less points in every quarter. "Our defense was great. It was a great win for us against a Group IV school."
   Hightstown trailed 8-7 after a quarter. Hightstown fought to take a 21-15 lead at the half, but the game was still close. That’s when Hess gave his team some instruction, which, amazingly, they took literally.
   "Coach Hess told us to come out fired up for the second half," Williston noted. "He told us to hold them scoreless in the third quarter — and that’s what we did."
   On the offensive side of the ball, Hess was extremely pleased with the balanced scoring he got out of his fine squad.
   "Williston had 9 points and 10 assists. He just missed getting a double-double," noted Hess.
   Smith, who had 8 points and six rebounds, also played well as did Lawson (7 points), Doughery (6 points), Worth (4 points, nine rebounds), Brown (4 points) and Sobkowiak (2 points).
   Even so, it was obvious which portion of its game won this one for Hightstown.
   "Our defense was outstanding," Hess said. "We held a good team scoreless in a quarter. Our defense was great." Hightstown (4-0) had no intentions of taking Pitman lightly in yesterday’s scheduled final. Hess is well aware of how good and well-coached Pitman is. On Tuesday, Hightstown is scheduled to play at Sayreville.
   PEDDIE

   Elizabeth used an early 18-12 first-quarter run to defeat the Peddie boy’s varsity basketball team 67-61 in Wednesday’s opener of the Red Bank Regional Buck Classic.
   Theo Jensen, the Falcons’ talented senior guard, was able to keep the contest close by scoring 16 points, 12 of which came off of four 3-pointers. Shasha Brown also poured in 16 points while Bill McDonough netted 15 points in a losing cause.
   After suffering an injury in the Boys Club of New York Holiday Classic over a week ago, Ciaran White was able to return to Peddie’s lineup and score 9 points versus Elizabeth. Michael Perry made a shot from three-point land while scoring 5 points for the Falcons.
   Joe Rulewich’s Peddie squad was scheduled to have played an additional game in the Red Bank Regional Buck Classic Tournament yesterday (Thursday).
   The Falcons are scheduled to be off until January 6th when they are scheduled to return to action with a regular season contest at Lawrenceville.
   A former Falcon, Ibby Jaaber, is doing very well in his college basketball career at Penn. Last Thursday the former Peddie star recorded six steals in Penn’s 90-78 victory over Chicago to become the Ivy League’s all-time steals leader. Then he added two more swipes in Penn’s 94-85 loss to Seton Hall on Saturday. He now has 250 career steals.
   Harvard’s Andrew Gellert previously held the record with 242 steals. Jaaber, who was chosen as the Ivy League Player of the Year last season, currently leads the Ivy league in both steals and assists. Moreover, Jaaber is just one point shy of 1,200 points for his career at Penn.