By: centraljersey.com
HIGHTSTOWN – Jonathan Stone wanted to see his Hun School boys basketball team come out with a strong defensive effort against Peddie on Saturday night.
Even in his wildest dreams he could not have expected what his team gave him.
The Raiders held Peddie without a point for nearly seven minutes to start the game and did not allow a made field goal until almost 10 minutes into the game. They limited the Falcons to just one made shot in the first half as they raced out to a 25-6 lead on their way to a 49-33 win.
"We caused some turnovers and we were pretty active defensively," said Stone, the Hun coach whose team improved to 4-8 with the win. "It’s as good as we have done. We have been trying to work on our defense. The first quarter was as good as we have done in a long time."
The Raiders were a bit sluggish themselves on offense in the opening quarter, but still managed to get out to a 10-0 lead as Dylan Sherwood scored six of the Raiders’ first 10 points. Sherwood went on to finish with a team-high 17 points as Hun bounced back after a tough overtime loss to Blair earlier in the week.
"Our game plan was to come out with a lot of energy and get after their guards, which we did," said Sherwood, a post-graduate from Rochester, N.Y. "After the loss to Blair, we had a team meeting and talked about what we really need to do and how we need to improve in practice. We saw the improvement today, especially with our defense."
Sherwood has been able to give the Raiders a nice presence both inside and outside this season. He’s a versatile player who can play numerous positions.
"He’s been very steady," said Stone, whose team is back in action tonight at home against Life Center Academy. "His consistency level has grown as the year has gone on. He can do a lot of things. He can score, he can rebound, he can block shots. The more things that you can do as a player the better it is for everyone."
Sherwood came to Hun looking to improve his stock and prepare for next season in college. He’s slated to attend the University of North Carolina in Wilmington.
"Offensively, I like to step out and shoot a 3 when I can," Sherwood said. "Today I was getting the ball a little more inside because we had a mismatch a lot of the game. Defensively, I try to do my best and contribute with rebounding and blocking shots.
"I wasn’t really too happy with my options last year back home. I was introduced to the whole prep school idea and I thought this would be a good opportunity. It’s worked out. I committed to North Carolina-Wilmington, which is a good school. This year has been about balancing basketball and academics."
And now he’s hoping to help Hun put together a solid second half of the season. There is still plenty of basketball to be played, with the state Prep A and Mid-Atlantic Prep League tournaments on the horizon.
"We still have a long way to go," Sherwood said. "We’ve seen the teams in the league now and I think that really helps. Hopefully it will be the difference when we play some of the teams again later in the season."
Added Stone: "I thought they showed some grit and determination to come out play well after a tough loss like we had the other day against Blair."

