Hightstown High Girls' Basketball Breakdown - 1/4/2020

First, I'd like to announce that I'm transitioning to covering high school sports at the suggestion of my TV Production professor, Mr. Steven Voorhees. Thank you for the suggestion, Professor Voorhees. I promise I won't let you down!


Before I get started with my breakdown of the Hightstown/South Brunswick game, I’d first like to thank Athletic Director Jim Peto, without whom none of this would be possible; and assistant coach Jenna Marcus. Jenna, you are and always have been one of the coolest girls I’ve ever known. Thank you both so much for allowing me this opportunity.

On Saturday, Hightstown’s Lady Rams took on the Lady Vikings of South Brunswick High in a non-conference match-up to continue the 2020 calendar. The big story lines for both teams coming in were blowouts at different ends of the spectrum. South Brunswick was destroyed by Monroe in their last game – losing 59-19, while Hightstown took down Nottingham 56-20.

Another key issue for both teams…turnovers. That’s what did South Brunswick in against Monroe and it’s also what did the Rams in against Metuchen, despite playing well.

After this game, Hightstown has one more home game against West Windsor Plainsboro North, then 3 on the road, facing Robbinsville, Allentown and Lawrence before a critical home stand against South, Hopewell Valley Central and Hamilton West to close out the home schedule for January.

The first quarter was pretty closely contested as Hightstown held a slim 1-point advantage, but after that…it was all Rams as they pulled out to a 21-11 lead at the halftime break, then stretched to a 35-19 advantage after 3.
Then things went south when the shots weren’t falling for the Rams while the Vikings got inside regularly. Add to that, the Rams lost their best player late in the game due to foul trouble.

However, despite South Brunswick’s late surge, the Rams held tough, winning 41-36 at home, pushing the Vikings’ skid to 3 straight.
My keys for the Rams were to rebound, play tough defense, play more zone defense and force tough shots. They did all that and then some, even with their best player falling victim to foul trouble.

South Brunswick showed grit and determination down the stretch. The big takeaway for the Vikings going forward is to continue to show that same determination they showed in this game for all 32 minutes.

For the Rams, this next stretch of 7 games will prove pivotal as it will demonstrate to the rest of the conference and to the rest of the state whether the Rams are contenders or background players.

As for me…I can’t wait to see where the rest of the season takes the Rams!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Legacy Of The Trenton Titans - 25 Years Later

Image
  It's now been 25 years since the Titans first graced the ice of what is now Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton. The Titans were successful out of the gate, regularly selling out their home barn, posting the best record in the league in just their 2nd season and making the East Coast Hockey League's Kelly Cup Finals twice - winning it all in 2004-05 during the infamous NHL lockout that year. But after 14 seasons and three ownership changes, the Titans were no more, leaving Cure Insurance Arena empty in the fall and winter months. So what went wrong? Why was a successful minor league hockey team torn away from the fans after a little more than a decade? What is the legacy of the Titans 25 years later and...what will it take to bring them back? Origin To better understand the legacy of the Trenton Titans, let's first go back to 1996, when Trenton - New Jersey's capital - was awarded a franchise in the burgeoning East Coast Hockey League. Back then, the then 8 year old leagu...
Read more

Is Daniel Jones All That?

Image
This past Tuesday, it was announced that Daniel Jones, the Giants’ 6 th overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, would start at QB in place of Eli Manning. On Sunday, he lined up under center against Tampa Bay and we all got a glimpse of the Giants’ future. Jones quickly shook off the nerves, going 23/36 for 336 yards with 4 touchdowns. He also showed his mobility, carrying the ball 4 times for 28 yards and accounting for 2 of the 4 touchdowns. Best of all...ZERO PICKS! The question – is Daniel Jones really all that? Is he really Eli Manning’s successor? Well, after watching Jones’ performance, I can tell you that my reservations about Jones have flown out the window. He is the next great Giants quarterback. He reminded me of Eli in his prime – a man who can find open targets, buy time for himself, escape pressure and even take the ball for himself every now and then. Jones even proved that he can come through in the clutch as he orchestrated the game-winning drive for the Giants in t...
Read more

RAMS' LATE RUN FALLS SHORT AGAINST EWING

Friday night, the Rams hosted CVC rivals Ewing in a crucial pre-MCT matchup at Hightstown High School. The Rams took an early 14-13 lead after the 1 st quarter and hang tough throughout, despite falling behind 29-25 at the half and finding themselves down by as many as 10 at one point following a 7-0 Ewing run to put the Blue Devils up 47-37. But an 11-3 run by the Rams kept them in contention right up to the final horn when one of Hightstown’s own attempted to channel her inner Stephen Curry and make a last second 3 to win the game only to have it clang off the rim as the Rams fell to Ewing by a 50-48 final.  As Maxwell Smart would say on ‘Get Smart’ – “Missed It By…THAT MUCH!”  Despite having 2 players foul out late, Hightstown showed the grit and determination that champions like the 90s Chicago Bulls and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers are made of as they looked for a bounce back game after the loss Tuesday against Trenton Central.  During the 2nd quarter, ...
Read more