Lady Eagles prepare for holiday tourney

By John E. Powers, Sports Writer
   Saturday morning, the South Hunterdon Regional High School girls basketball team impressed their first-year head coach.
   The Eagles were eager to get back to practice after a tough win at Bound Brook Friday night.
   ”I guess the temptation is to rest a bit, but every kid showed up, including the junior varsity players, and we got back to work,” said South Hunterdon coach Sam Haimann. “We had a very productive practice.”
   The Eagles will arrive in New Egypt today for the Warrior Holiday Classic with a 2-2 record and a two-game winning streak. The Eagles will play New Egypt at 5:15.
   The other game pits Keyport and Lindenwold. The losers of today’s games play Saturday at 2, and the winners play at 5:15.
   South Hunterdon, which finished 4-16 last year, is already halfway to that win total. The Eagles lost to Mount St. Mary Academy 47-43 last Tuesday, but beat Princeton Day School 59-44 Thursday and a night later Bound Brook 41-31.
   South Hunterdon nearly made it three straight. Mount St. Mary needed two free throws from Mel Romero with 32 seconds left in regulation to win 47-43.
   ”We were pretty flat in the first half, and I was disappointed with our intensity level, especially offensively,” Haimann said. “We had trouble getting our offense going, but then we came out in the second half, and it was like two different halves. We scored 11 points in the first half and 32 in the second. We dug ourselves a hole, and we didn’t have enough time to get out of it.. Obviously, if we came out stronger, it’s a game we probably could have won.”
   Junior guard Stephanie Perovich scored 14 of her team-high 17 in the second half.
   Perovich, a transfer from Immaculata, maintained her strong shooting two nights later as the Eagles beat Princeton Day 59-44. Perovich had nine of her 21 points in the second quarter. Junior forward Brittany Ennis had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Sara Phillips had 10 points.
   ”We were running the same offense two nights before, but we were really clicking,” Haimann said. “We played a solid game for so early in the season. We were pretty disappointed Tuesday night, and, to their credit, we got a game we absolutely needed. They played well, and the kids had intensity right from the start.”
   The Eagles led just 11-10 after one period, but outscored PDS 35-18 in the second and third quarters to pull away.
   ”Stephanie hit a couple of big three-pointers, and our focus was excellent that night,” Haimann said. “I was really pleased with the response after such a disappointing loss to Mount St. Mary.”
   South Hunterdon won its Skyland Conference Valley Division game Friday night at Bound Brook, beating the Crusaders 41-33. Perovich had 13, Ennis finished with 12 and Phillips 10.
   For the second straight game, the Eagles showed their balance with three players in double figures. K.K. Campbell had 12 rebounds and five points. Campbell also played strong defense against Bound Brook’s 6-foot-4 senior center Victoria Brown.
   ”It’s a tough place to play, and Bound Brook is a senior dominated team,” Haimann said. “It was really two different games (compared to Princeton Day). We really had to grind it out. It was sloppy at times. K.K. played man defense on Brown the whole game and didn’t let her dominate. She played an outstanding game. K.K. was very active on defense, staying in front of Brown. If we had played behind her, we’d be in trouble.”
   Phillips hit five straight free throws in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles stay in front.
   ”Phillips has a lot of responsibility for a freshman,” Haimann said. “Bound Brook pressed after every basket they made, and Sara had to make that inbounds pass. She’s getting better every day, takes to coaching and tries to make herself better.”