By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
As far as starts to the season go, the Princeton High girls basketball team has to be pretty happy with theirs.
The Little Tigers opened the season with three wins in their first four games before falling to Stuart Country Day, 62-33, in the semifinals of the Stuart Invitational on Wednesday.
“We’re very happy,” sophomore Catherine Dyvitch said after the Little Tigers topped Villa Walsh, 43-42, in the opening round of the Stuart tournament on Tuesday. “I was a little nervous because we lost three top seniors from last year. But with our young team we have been coming through. We were completely unsure of how it was going to go, especially with a new coach and so many new varsity players. But we are doing well so far.”
Princeton has plenty of new faces on the roster and was playing without to key seniors in the tournament. But after falling to West Windsor-Plainsboro South in its opener, Princeton rattled off three straight wins.
“I am really happy with the season,” said Dyvitch, who sank two free throws with less than one second remaining to give Princeton the win over Villa Walsh. “It is going great so far. I know we are going to facing some harder competition later in the season. But with these three wins I think we can be more competitive.
“I think there is a lot more team chemistry this year. Everyone is a lot more friendly and they knew each other better and that is another reason we are playing well.”
Princeton showed its resiliency in the win over Villa Walsh, which had come into the game with a 3-0 record. The Little Tigers led by as many as 12 in the opening half, only to see Villa Walsh rally and take the lead in the final minute. But Princeton fought back and won with Dyvitch sealing the game with her free throws.
“That was pretty similar to the last game as well when we won in the last second,” Dyvitch said of a 44-40 win over Nottingham. “In seasons before we have not been real good at winning in the last few seconds. But I guess we are getting better.
“I was so nervous. I tried to keep myself calm because I knew if I got myself hyped up too much I wouldn’t make them.”
Princeton used a balanced effort in the win, with everyone making a contribution on the court.
“We have a pretty strong bench,” Princeton coach Steve Hennessey said. “Olivia Intartaglia came in and had two huge drives to the basket. The two Intartaglia girls, Olivia and Anna, had huge games today. We had a lot of people contribute and we were missing two of our starters. Our sophomore class is strong and we have a deep team.”
Dyvitch is one of the newcomers who has helped make an impact. She played on the JV last year but has made a smooth adjustment to the varsity this season.
“Over the summer, I played in the summer league and that is almost like a varsity summer league and I played with the girls there,” she said. “And I have known most of the girls since middle school and we’re all good friends.
“Five or six of the players were in JV last year, so half the team is new this year. The players that were here are doing a really good job of helping us.”
The tournament at Stuart was a good test for the Little Tigers, who enjoyed the opportunity to play three times in four games. They are scheduled to face Stone Ridge today at 11 a.m. in a consolation game.
“We only had one scrimmage due to the program getting off to a little bit of a late start,” Hennessey said. “When I saw we had three guaranteed games here I was very happy. Because we need more playing time. That is how we are going to get better.”
