North’s Egan in big role

Sophomore sparks tournament win

By: Justin Feil
   Erin Egan played in the final minute of the War of the Worlds Tournament championship game last year.
   She appeared only in a mop-up role then for the West Windsor-Plainsboro North girls’ basketball team. Now a sophomore starter, she figures to have a bigger say in whether the Knights can return to the tournament final again.
   Egan had a career-high 14 points to lead the Knights to a 64-22 win over Long Branch in the War of the Worlds first round Wednesday. With the win, WW-P North will host South Brunswick, a 56-40 winner over Marlboro, 7:15 p.m. tonight in the second game of the tournament semifinals. The first game pits Hunterdon Central and Hillsborough. The winners will meet in the 7:15 p.m. championship Saturday with the third-place game to be played at 5:30 p.m.
   "I know South Brunswick will be a good team," Egan said. "I think we have a good shot to get to the finals again and have a shot to win it."
   Egan, a forward, will figure more prominently in the Knights’ success this year than she did last year. She came into the season knowing she’d have a bigger role, but unsure that she would start. When senior Erica Weitz was lost to a knee injury, Egan was there to join four returners.
   "One thing about our team that is pretty surprising is the play of Erin Egan," said WW-P North head coach Bob Boyce after his team improved to 3-1. "I knew she could be our fifth starter based on some things I saw from her. When Erica got hurt, it was obvious who to put in. When I show her things, like footwork in the post, or defensive things, she picks it up and starts working on it. And today, thank God for her. Without her, I don’t know how we would have done.
   "Normally we’re guard strong. We have Meg Pisani, Liz Tang and Danielle Parisi, and Kathy Ruiz gives us a little in the post, but the improvement of Erin Egan is the big thing we’ve got. The others bring you varsity experience, that varsity savvy. Then you mix in her. The last couple games, she’s shown what she can do."
   WW-P North showed good balance Wednesday with four players in double figures. Fellow sophomore Deeksha Taneja had 12 points while Tang and Ruiz had 11 points apiece. Avery Gardner had 20 of Long Branch’s 22 points.
   Egan faced her toughest challenge in the first game of the season, the Knights’ only loss, when she had to match up against a talented Hopewell Valley frontcourt. It was a difficult opener but an experience that ultimately could benefit the Knights.
   "We really wanted to win our first game," Egan said. "We were losing by a lot and then we started to play really intense. We played better then. When we brought it along, we were doing better but we couldn’t come all the way back. We did play well towards the end, but we had a lot of turnovers, which is something we’ve been working on. Our numbers are going down every game."
   Said Boyce, "She’s a lot better now than she was then. She’s improved a lot."
   Since then, Egan has been growing more comfortable and more accustomed to what it takes to be successful at the varsity level. She had nine points in a win over rival WW-P South and built on that with 14 points while adding a low-post presence at both ends.
   "I’m playing bigger down low," Egan said. "Last year, I was more tentative. Since I was a freshman, I was afraid to take charge. Being more aggressive and stronger is the biggest change for me.
   "It has helped a lot," she added of playing more. "I get a feel for the game. I get to do everything with the same team, with the same people out there. I’m playing with people with more experience than me and I’m getting used to playing with them. It’s a better way to play a game."
   Egan wasn’t hard to fit in the Knights lineup. She has played with many of the WW-P North players in AAU and on outside-school teams while growing up. And despite being a post player, she’s also a perfect fit for the style the Knights have continued to play under Boyce, who took over for Brett Charleston.
   "She is a forward who runs like a guard," Boyce said. "That’s what I saw last year. I needed a forward who can run with those other girls. She can do it. She just gets better every time we come out here."
   The Knights hope to do the same. Their pressure is a key to their success and got things going for them Wednesday. They held an 18-12 lead with 3:42 left in the second quarter before a 13-2 run fueled by their full-court pressure gave WW-P North a big halftime lead. Six points from Egan in the third quarter built that lead to 47-16 and showed even without their best performance that defense can make anyone look bad.
   "We all expected it," Egan said. "I have a brother, Ryan, who played for Mr. Boyce in basketball and baseball. So I had a good idea how it was going to be. I knew it would be more up-tempo and chaotic, in a good way."
   Added Boyce: "I think they wore down. They only had seven girls. I don’t think we really played well other than Erin Egan. We have to play better to beat South Brunswick."
   For Egan, it’s another chance to show how she can help the Knights. She is gaining confidence with every game.
   "I think coming into the season, I knew I’d be on varsity," she said. "I didn’t know if I’d start. But after the first couple of practices, you could tell who was standing out. I felt like more of a benefit to the team than in the past."
   Egan certainly gave the Knight girls a lift in the War of the Worlds opener. They’re hoping she can do more of the same to get them back to the championship and in the rest of the season to come.