Defense has become the rally call for the boys’ basketball team at Bordentown Regional High School.
A air-tight defense, along with a productive offensive showing, sparked Bordentown’s 71-24 road victory over Pemberton Township High School on Jan. 17
Asserting their offensive and defensive prowess from the opening tip, the Scotties attacked the Hornets all around the perimeter in the Burlington County Scholastic League matchup that was decided by halftime. Bordentown entered the locker room with a 25-point lead after two quarters.
Bordentown had come off two tight games with Rancocas Valley and Burlington City, but against Pemberton, the Scotties were in full command. The defense of the Scotties had held Pemberton to a total of just nine points for the game midway through the third period.
Bordentown coach John Myers pointed to the defense as a key focus for the game given the team’s size–or lack of.
“Our thing is that we’re small, so we have to get out and transition,” Myers said. “In order to get out and transition, we’ve got to play better defense.”
The Bordentown offensive splurge was guided by Jordan Martin’s 23 points and Gavin Shiver’s 16 points.
Martin, who has scored 43 points in his last three games, has been a force on offense for the Scotties this season.
Not only did the Pemberton defense have their work cut out for them against Martin, he helped contribute to the defense while he pulled down multiple rebounds at the rim.
He said that defense has been a key element both in games and at practice.
“In practice, we’ve been going over defense for hours straight – just defense, defense – trying to hold our man and talk,” Martin said. “We’re having more trust, and we’re having more trust in [players] playing their positions. We like to get out and run, and that’s what we did here today.”
Martin said that their defensive efforts will be an essential factor for continued success.
“Hopefully, we’re going to try to get [wins],” Martin said. “We’re going to practice really hard and play defense like we did [today], which is our most important job and get better with chemistry as a team.”
Alongside their defensive efforts, Myers accredited the success in the game against Pemberton on Bordentown’s ability to get up-and-down the court efficiently.
“What I’m most proud of in them is that they got out and transitioned,” he said. “Today, we just got down the court like we should, so I think that’s attributed to them understanding what’s our best feature.”
With an upcoming schedule against competitive league opponents, which included a home game against Moorestown on Jan. 18, an away game against Burlington City on Jan. 22, a home game against Delran on Jan. 24, and a home game against Paul IV High School on Jan. 26, Myers said that the Scotties will have to prepare to compete against highly-skilled opponents.
“We have a challenging next two weeks,” he said. “They’re going to play against talent that can run with them.”