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WEST WINDSOR: Lee helps South boys to state win

Bench gives Pirates basketball a boost

By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
   Jonathan Lee knows that when he and the other players who come off the bench for the West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys basketball team are needed, they’ll be ready to respond.
   The bench was needed on Tuesday night and the bench came through in the Pirates’ 48-47 win over North Brunswick in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group IV tournament.
   Lee shared team-high scoring honors with 15 points and the bench players accounted for 28 points in all as the Pirates closed the game with a 9-1 run in the final two minutes to rally for the win.
   ”Coach (Bob Schurtz) has emphasized all year long that he wants our bench to stay in the game and support the starters and that is what we did,” said Lee, who scored 10 of his points in the first half. “We gave them that little extra that they needed.
   ”I know Kareem (Elhossieni) and a lot of our big guys played well and got some key rebounds. This year we have a lot of bench players who can come in and play well and that is what we did today.”
   With the win, the eighth-seeded Pirates advanced to face top-seeded Montgomery, which opened CJ IV play with a 66-54 win over Marlboro. Greg Tarca led the Cougars, who improved to 25-1, with 25 points. Chase Ta and Justin Kovacevich added 13 points apiece. The teams were scheduled to play on Thursday night with the winner facing the Hillsborough-East Brunswick winner in the sectional semifinals on Saturday.
   ”You just never know,” said Schurtz, whose team improved to 16-9 on the season. “We talked about it as a coaching staff that this time of year you usually get a feel for which guys are going to be in which situations. I’ve had years where I don’t think I have even turned to the bench. It’s a great feeling to have a team that faces adversity like foul trouble and then to be able to put guys in that you have confidence in.”
   Lee and Danny Borup led the Pirates with 15 points apiece. They went ahead for good with 5 seconds left when C.J. Howell followed up a missed shot with a put-back for the lead. But South was in the game mainly due to the play of the players who came off the bench and kept them in the game in the first half.
   ”I just felt really comfortable during warmups and shooting around,” said Lee, who connected on three 3-point shots. “I just let it fly and they went in. It was great to get this win. We’ve had some really good games and we’ve had some tough losses. I think we’ve lost three or four games by less than three points. It was great to get a win and continue our season.”
   The win was certainly a team effort for a team whose main offensive weapon, Tomm Hussong, was shut down by the North Brunswick defense.
   ”We’ve talked about embracing the ugly,” Schurtz said. “We try to make games ugly. We found a way on a night when someone who has been our guy and an all-conference type of player doesn’t score. He hasn’t not scored in a game all year. He hasn’t not made a ‘three’ all year. He faced a tough situation like that and still stayed locked in the game and did a phenomenal job on defense and helped keep us in the game.”
   And that gave some other players a chance to make a contribution on the big stage.
   ”I think we played nine guys and everyone went in and did their role,” Schurtz said. “A guy like Jon Lee, what a great memory and experience for him as a senior to be playing at home in a playoff game and to come out and keep us in it early on and then make plays late in the game that were a difference maker.
   ”C.J. Howell, for some of the mistakes that he was making early on in his first state game, he showed all the savvy and composure of a veteran late in the game with a couple great finishes and then the put-back to win it. It’s great to see such a wide variety of guys contributing and that is what makes it special as a coach. That shows the depth of your program.”
   It was the type of win Schurtz has come to expect from his team, which scored five points in the final minute to win.
   ”The program has gotten to a place where there is such grit and resolve,” Schurtz said. “They are just tough kids that want to find a way to win.”