By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Sometimes wins get ugly., And for the Princeton High boys basketball team, that’s quite all right., “We kind of have a motto and it is just to win ugly,” first-year Princeton coach Patrick Noone said after his team’s 59-57 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North. “I just told them we have to go out there and win no matter what it takes. And the good part is different guys are doing it. Bo List goes in there in the second quarter and gets some steals. Justin Marciano plays a lot of minutes tonight. Jaylen Johnson and Alex Filion, they’re not playing as much but they are still into it and when they’re in there they are doing the job.”, Princeton trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and by six entering the fourth quarter. But the Little Tigers turned up the effort on defense and went on a 14-2 run to turn a 48-42 deficit into a 56-50 lead., “The philosophy we have learned is that we have the athleticism, we just have to take it and run,” senior guard Andrew Goldsmith said. “We know defensively if we pressure guys we have the speed and athleticism to get the ball and once we get the ball we can score in transition. Maybe we could make a few more layups, but we’ll work on that.”, Goldsmith’s defense in the fourth quarter made a huge difference. He had two straight steals that led to layups for Zahrion Blue and Issac Webb. A role player the past two seasons, Goldsmith is thriving in Noone’s new system., “I have always been known as a defensive player,” said Goldsmith, who finished with four points in the win. “Having two fouls early really, it frustrated me not being able to get on the court. Once I got on the court I knew I had to make a difference and that difference was my defense. Luckily, as I raised my level the rest of the team just came with it and that started on the defensive end because we know that is the most important part., “I have loved the change in philosophy. I am a defensive player. I like being able to make such a big impact on the team. And being able to be a leader on the team, guys have stepped into big defensive roles because they see it worked for me so why not do it. Once they do it on the defensive end they see they can do it on the offensive end.”, Blue led the Little Tigers with 25 points, most of which came during a 19-5 run that turned an eight-point deficit into a six point lead. Webb and Cristobal Silva each had nine points in the win, which was the fourth straight for Princeton as it improved to 6-3 on the season., “They have battled all year,” said Noone, whose team will play at Robbinsville on Friday night. “They play for each other and we just don’t quit. We don’t want to give up no matter what happens. They play for each other. It’s really them playing for each other that has been the most awesome thing for this team., “The thing that is helping us the most is that these guys just don’t quit. Whoever we’re playing, they just keep battling. We lost by 60 to Nottingham and not one guy quit. We played to the last minute. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way. Lawrence gave us a pretty good lumping, too. But these guys just keep coming. That’s a testament to these guys and their families and the people of Princeton.”, With four straight wins, Princeton is building momentum as it works its way through January. After going 8-17 last year, the Little Tigers are loving the change in results., “It’s been amazing,” Goldsmith said. “I can’t say enough about Coach Noone. He has been amazing for me and the rest of the team. Everyone has bought in and has been playing great. Coach was a little scared that we would get complacent after a big rivalry game against PDS. We had a shaky start but we were able to get this win., “That was a fun win. It was a very close and intense game but we got it done. Everyone is really working well together on the team. That has been the biggest words of the year, playing together. We’re having fun.”, And everyone is contributing. And while the wins have been nice, Princeton doesn’t want to get too far ahead of itself., “We did a good job establishing roles,” Noone said. “It has been pretty cool in that aspect. Right now we’re 0-0 and going into Robbinsville, which is huge. We have to come out of there, 1-0. We’ve told everybody no matter what happens, whether it is good or bad, it’s over. We have this mentality where I tell them I am a March to March guy. We’re just focused on March. We battle and want to just get to March one game at a time.”
