By: centraljersey.com
One year removed from a frustrating ankle injury that cost him the second half of the season, Ethan Harel is doing what he can to make his senior year for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North boys basketball team a success.
Harel scored 29 points on Friday night as the Knights rallied for a 70-64 overtime win on Notre Dame. The next day he scored eight points to help North improve to 6-3 with a 58-40 win over Allentown.
For Harel, a senior who missed such a big chunk of his junior season, being on the floor and helping his team win games this year has helped ease that disappointment.
"It’s been good," Harel said. "My ankle is fine and I have not even been thinking about it. I just go hard every day in practice and make sure I work hard every game. We have been trying to play good defense. If we do that we think we can be a hard team to beat this year."
In the win over Notre Dame on Friday, the Knights built a nine-point lead early in the second half, only to see the Irish come back and grab a five-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Knights still trailed by four with a minute to play before Will Whipple scored the final four points of the quarter to force overtime. After falling behind, 64-62, in overtime, the Knights tied it on free throws by Harel and took the lead for good on a three-point basket by Eli Can.
"They made a nice run," Harel said. "We knew they were a deadly three-point shooting team. We were just trying to get stops and execute on offense and get the best shot we could."
The wins over Notre Dame and Allentown appear to have the Knights back on track heading into a game tonight against Trenton. At this point they are striving to bring a consistent effort each game.
"We didn’t come out to play in a few games, which has been a problem for us so far," Harel said. "We have to make sure we get up for every game and come with intensity for a full 32 minutes.
"We have some talented players. We have good shooters and guys who can slash. We have some ball-handlers. We don’t care who leads the team in points or anything. We just care about doing the best we can every game."
Harel has been doing his part since being able to get back on the floor after his injury of a year ago. In addition to his 29 points against Notre Dame, he added 19 rebounds.
"Ethan was a bull tonight," North coach Dale Florio said after the Notre Dame win. "He’s the centerpiece of this team and the other kids feed off him. When he is playing hard and putting balls back hard to the basket, it motivates the other players."
Added Harel: "I’ve been trying to be more aggressive and make defenders have to guard me inside and outside."
Harel is part of a balanced WW-P North team that has a variety of weapons on offense. In the win over Notre Dame, Mike Klotz had 14 points, Can 11 and Whipple added 10. Against Allentown, Klotz and Brandon Johnson had 16 points apiece.
"We trust everyone to make the right decision and try to get the open shot," Harel said. "We’re just taking it game by game. We know each game we have to come out ready to play. If we take it game by game we feel like we have a chance to compete with every team we play."
Added Florio: "We’re fortunate that we are a balanced team. We do have to learn to handle the ball better. Notre Dame is a very good defensive team but I felt like we made it easier for them in a couple of situations, especially late in the game. In many of our wins we have had a lot of turnovers. But the guys figure out a way to win."
Harel hopes to close out the season a high note before he heads off to Washington & Lee, where he will be playing basketball next year.
"I’m real excited," Harel said. "I went for my visit and loved the feel I got from the guys and Coach (Jonathan) Webb. I had a great visit."

