North girls capture PDS tournament
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
After starting the season 1-3, MaryBeth Carson was happy to help the West Windsor-Plainsboro North girls basketball team win the Princeton Day School Holiday Invitational.
”I think it was pretty important because it gave us momentum,” said the Knights senior. “We started off the season not the way we wanted with losing some close games. It brought us back to .500 and motivated us.”
Carson and junior Sarah McNeilly scored nine points apiece in WW-P North’s 34-31 win over Northern Burlington for the championship. It was the first loss of the season for Northern Burlington, while the Knights improved to 3-3 heading into Thursday’s scheduled game against Notre Dame.
”Against Northern Burlington, we never led until about 14 seconds left in the game,” said Knights head coach Bob Boyce. “The only lead we had was when McNeilly hit a 3. That put us ahead, 32-31. Then she got fouled and sank two free throws.
”McNeilly hit that shot, but MaryBeth was the lift in the game. She had key steals, and she ran down some loose balls for us in our trap. She gave us a lift.”
Carson expects that of herself. It’s her third season on varsity, and each year she’s improved her play. The title game performance may have been her best as a Knight as hr nine points was a career high and came with her usual heads-up play at the defensive end.
”I was pretty pleased with that,” she said. “As a team, we clicked and came together. I hit some shots throughout the game which helped me stay focused and helped me know I can perform for my team and I didn’t have to leave it to others, I could make the plays myself.”
This year, her role includes that of a team leader as one of three seniors along with Kayla Foster and Liz Sugar.
”I think it’s a lot different,” Carson said. “There’s no one above to look up to for advice. Now the underclassmen are looking up to us. We have to definitely show more leadership. That’s helped with our own confidence and with guiding the team.”
Carson was happy to make some plays and some baskets when the team needed them most. She had two points in their 27-24 win over Pinelands in the tournament opener, then produced her career-high against Northern Burlington.
”I think we knew if we stuck together and learn to really work well as a team than I think we felt we’d be OK,” Carson said. “As the last game showed by doing that, that’s what helped us. We never gave up.
”This was our best win. Our first win against South, we played well, and the win against Pinelands, we only won by a little. This last game was definitely our most fierce showing. We wanted to come out and prove ourselves.”
The Knights still struggle at the offensive end. They have yet to score more than 44 points in a game, but their defense could be the best in the county. They haven’t surrendered more than 42 points through their first six games.
”We like to get after whoever our opponent is and play our hardest then,” Carson said. “The energy we have on defense, that’s what we need to spark our offense more in a composed manner. We also play good help defense. We come together. It’s not one person on any player. It’s everyone doing what they can.”
Carson helps at both ends of the court. She knows her role and what she can contribute.
”She’s been a contributor for a couple years,” Boyce said. “She plays smart, and plays good defense.”
Boyce is confident that his squad will be tough to stop if they can convert a few more steals into easy points at their offensive end, and if they convert more of their shooting opportunities. If they could, they would certainly make it easier on themselves rather than constantly being in nip and tuck games.
”The only advantage is we get used to playing that way,” Boyce said. “I don’t think we get as nervous as most teams do (when it’s close). They understand that’s how we play. They fight and claw and know someone will put one in somewhere.”
It was the case in the Northern Burlington game. They led all game, but the Knights were right there.
Said Carson: “In the end of the game, we realized how close we were to coming back. Boyce said, ‘I’m tired of losing games we should win and you should be too.’ Everything changed after that. We shot better, we were more aware of the passes we were making and we were more careful with the ball, and we crashed the boards better.
”As the game went on, we believed more that we could win,” she added. “I wasn’t personally watching the score, but it pretty much seemed evenly matched all game. At the end we just started outplaying them.”
That resulted in a trophy for the Knights, who lost both games of the holiday tournament they entered last year. This season, they used the tournament to pick up some steam for the Colonial Valley Conference.
”There’s a lot more sprit and camaraderie on the team after the win,” Carson said. “Me and the other seniors, Kayla and Liz Sugar, are trying to keep up the spirit. If we limit the turnovers and improve rebounding and shooting like we did at the end of last game, we can compete with any team.”
The tournament title is something that Carson is hopeful the Knights can build on this season. They just need their offense to catch up with their defense, which has proven effective with a variety of looks.
”We’re much more composed on defense,” Carson explained. “We’re really patient there. With our offense, we’re a little less patient. Sometimes instead of waiting, we force things and that leads to turnovers. If we can limit the turnovers, we can be more patient and have better and easier shots for us to make.”
Carson is trying to do her part. A career-high in the championship game was a good start to her senior season, and could be a launching point for the WW-P North girls basketball team.
”I can’t predict how many points I’ll have on a given night,” Carson said. “But being more consistent and scoring on a more regular basis will help us.”