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Tarca is a leader for MHS

Cougars stop North hoops

By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
   Kris Grundy was not happy with the first few games the Montgomery High boys’ basketball team had played.
   And neither were his players.
   But after a solid performance in a 56-29 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North, both the coach and his players were feeling better.
   ”I think the slow start really woke us up and we realized that playing individual ball is not going to win us games,” said senior point guard Kevin Tarca, who had six points in the win over WW-P North. “At practice, we focused on team play and working together as a team. I think we proved today that working together as a team instead of individually can get us where we want to be.”
   Grundy was not pleased with the lack of ball movement in an opening loss to Immaculata. And in subsequent games against Warren Hills and Watchung Hills, there was just too much individual play.
   Grundy talked with Tarca about his responsibility as the point guard to make sure the rest of the team was on the same page. And that showed in the win over North.
   ”In our two wins this year, he has done a tremendous job of doing exactly what I need him to do, which is run the offense, not force the ball, distribute, and play hard-nosed defense,” said Grundy, whose team took a 2-2 record into Thursday’s opening round game of the Gene Haley Tournament in Edison.
   ”That’s been his biggest improvement. His jump shot has improved and all that. But all the work he has done with the Coach (Chuck) Mound and the speed training, his lateral movement has improved so much.”
   Tarca has shown an ability to score when needed, as he led the team with 14 points in the season-opening loss to Immaculata. But he also knows that he’s more valuable to the team when he’s doing the little things.
   ”My focus is not to score,” said Tarca, who averaged 7.4 points per game a year ago. “It’s to focus on making sure we play as a team to win, however that is done, whether I’m scoring 20 or I’m scoring zero. As long as we play as a team, that’s the way we’re going to win games.
   ”The first game really woke us up and showed us that if we try to play individually, it’s not going to work. When we slow the ball down and run our offense and execute well, that’s what will get us the wins.”
   Matt Kovacs took care of a bulk of the scoring in the win over WW-P North, leading the way with 23 points. Misha Miljanic added 13 for the Cougars, who don’t figure to have a go-to guy the way they did last year when Nick Cafiero led the way with 14.1 points per game.
   ”We lost Nick Cafiero, who was our main scorer from last year,” Tarca said. “We don’t want to go through another season with having one go-to guy. We have to rely on everyone on the team to contribute.”
   Tarca has high hopes for this season for the Cougars, who were 12-13 last year and lost to Brick Memorial in the opening round of the state tournament. He and the rest of the Cougars have spent a lot of time preparing for this season.
   ”As soon as that final whistle blew at the Brick game, we started preparing as a team,” Tarca said. “We were getting prepared for that opening night against Immaculata.”
   And even though that opening night did not go well, Grundy feels like the work his players have put in will eventually pay off. And he also has a lot of confidence in Tarca as the leader of the group.
   ”Kevin has been a tremendous leader for us,” Grundy said. “In the offseason, I told them what I wanted them to do as far as conditioning. But he took the bull by the horns and organized the guys. He was there Tuesdays and Thursdays after school for conditioning. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, they were in the weight room. He was the one that was on the kids saying they had to get in there and lift.”
   And now he’s the one directing the offense. And when Tarca directs it the way he did against WW-P North, the Cougars look like a pretty tough team to beat.