Little Tigers honor inspirational senior in home finale
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Kia Santoro was positioning to play defense near halfcourt when her Princeton High School teammate Rachel Basie got pushed into her at the end of the third quarter against West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Tuesday.
Both went sprawling to the ground.
”That actually was my hardest hit today,” Santoro said. “I didn’t see that coming at all. We got a good laugh out of it.”
There have been hard hits all along for a Little Tiger girls’ basketball team that remained winless in 18 games with a loss to WW-P South, but Santoro and her young teammates have kept the smiles on her faces from start to finish this year.
”We’re a really tight team,” said Santoro. “Usually when you haven’t won any games, people are yelling at each other, no one’s in a good mood. We always keep our heads up and we’re always there for each other. We’re all really good friends. It’s good to see.”
The camaraderie that has built through the season is enough to bring the Little Tigers’ lone senior close to tears on Senior Night. Regardless of record, it’s been an experience she won’t forget.
”It’s still setting in,” Santoro said. “I’m still trying to take it all in. It’s really big. I’m kind of in shock.”
Good thing she didn’t have to make a speech to the Little Tigers.
”That would be very hard,” Santoro said. “I don’t think I could do that.”
Santoro certainly would have her teammates’ attention, as she has earned their admiration for the way she plays despite being one of the shortest on the team. She hustles end to end, and Tuesday she scored eight points in eight minutes — including a three-pointer — in the third quarter as the Little Tigers won their only quarter of the night, 10-9.
”She’s been a consistent leader,” said PHS first-year coach Stephanie Shoop. “She talks well with the girls. She’s very positive. She’s a huge reason the kids have stayed so positive. What also is amazing is she will take on any kid three times her size and take a charge.”
Taking charges on teammates is something new, but PHS showed contagious hustle against the Pirates. Twice Tuesday, Basie flew into the bleachers in pursuit of a loose ball.
”They don’t ever stop,” Shoop said. “They try very hard. We just have to have more consistency. We unfortunately haven’t had a game all season where we played the whole four quarters.”
Added Santoro: “It is a very young team. It was a rebuilding year, but it was good. It was a lot of fun. It was good to meet all the incoming freshmen and make a lot of good new friends so I’m happy.”
Many of those freshmen are in significant roles on the young team. PHS started two freshmen and a sophomore against a veteran WW-P South team that returned every starter from a year ago.
”We have a way younger team,” Shoop said. “The girls are trying really hard. I think they definitely have gotten better since the beginning of the season. We’ve improved a lot on our defense. We’ve got multiple defenses we can play. Right now, the biggest thing holding us back is the offensive end. We need to learn how to become more aggressively-minded offensive team.
”Our defense is pretty decent. It holds its own. It’s our offense that really needs a lot of work.”
The offense will come as the Little Tigers gain experience. Santoro is hoping PHS’ young players can gain confidence while maintaining their strong work ethic.
”They’ve got a long way to go and right now they’re looking really good,” she said. “Hopefully when they’re seniors taking over my place, they’ll be good.”
PHS will play Bordentown as part of the Burlington/Mercer County Challenge that matches teams of similar strength, then open the Mercer County Tournament as the No. 16 seed at top-seeded Trenton on Tuesday.
”I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Santoro said. “We have four more games left and we’re hoping to keep up our intensity and all our emotions up. It’s been a tough season, but these last four games, we’re hoping to step it up a lot to end it well.”
Hopefully with a lot less painful reason to smile.