Zebras Match Last Year’s Win Total with Victory Over Pirates
PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ–At the beginning of the year, GMC Hoops indicated that New Brunswick would be better in 2016-17. The prediction has been tested during the course of the season when the Zebras lost 8 straight games after winning their season opener.
However, while progress is slow, it is still coming along. Last year, New Brunswick didn’t win its first game of the season until it knocked off 19th seeded Middlesex in the 2016 GMCT Play-In Round last season. The Zebras only finished with three wins on the year. This year, they have already accomplished as much with still some games remaining.
After giving up the first seven points of the game, and trailing 13-6 with a little over a minute to play in the first period, New Brunswick ended the half on a 15-4 run to take a 21-17 halftime lead, and then after falling behind to West Windsor-Plainsboro South by one early in the third, the Zebras put together a 22-12 surge to end the period for a 43-34 lead.
The Pirates of WWPS had another strong start in the fourth by scoring 7 of the first 8 points to pull within three at 44-41, but New Brunswick didn’t let their Colonial Valley Conference foe get any closer, and pulled away with an 11-5 spurt to finish the game with a 55-46 victory. The win gave New Brunswick as many wins as all of last season. Two players were the key to the Zebras win: Curtis Revan and Kenny Lebron.
Revan, a senior forward, who was also a standout on the gridiron during the fall, poured in a game high 24 points while Lebron chipped in with 14 to lead the Zebras. Jonathan Kline led West Windsor-Plainsboro South with 13 points while Folarin Okulaja chipped in with 12 and Anthony Taylor added 11. Freshman point guard Ahyan Brown-Miller also contributed for the Zebras with 8 points including several free throws down the stretch.
West Windsor-Plainsboro South had a 15-9 advantage from beyond the arc, but New Brunswick neutralized that with a 30-22 edge in points scored from within the arc as well as a 16-9 edge in points scored from the charity stripe. Seven different players scored for the Zebras while only five different players scored for the Pirates. New Brunswick outscored West Windsor-Plainsboro South by a margin of 35-21 over the middle two periods.
The game didn’t start out that well for the Zebras. Unlike the previous Saturday against South River when New Brunswick jumped out to an 8-3 lead, the Zebras were put on the ropes early as the Pirates scored seven straight points to open the game including a three by Demetrius Worley (6 points). NBHS rallied back with 6 of the next 8 points including a putback by Revan at the 2:09 mark for a 9-6 WWPS lead, but the Pirates scored four more points including a transition layup for a 13-6 lead with 1:04 remaining in the opening period.
Following a New Brunswick timeout, the Zebras began to get going. First Revan got another bucket before the end of the period as he got a kind roll on a short jumper in the paint with time winding down for a 13-8 West Windsor-Plainsboro South lead heading into the second. The Zebras then got the first six points of the second including a layup by Brown-Miller at the 6:46 mark, and a bucket by Lebron for a 14-13 lead at the 6:28 mark.
Over the next 3:53, the Zebras scored 5 of the next 9 points including a short pull-up jumper by Kenny Lebron at the 2:35 mark for a 19-17 lead. New Brunswick then added another score to go into the locker room at the half up by four at 21-17. West Windsor-Plainsboro South opened the third by scoring the first five points for a 22-21 lead at the 6:55 mark, but the lead didn’t last long.
The Zebras responded by going on an 12-5 run that was highlighted by another Revan putback at the 6:15 mark for a 24-22 lead. West Windsor-Plainsboro South still stayed in contention though with a three pointer from the top of the key at the 3:41 mark to draw within a possession at 33-30. New Brunswick kept the Pirates at arm’s length though by scoring 6 of the next 9 points over a 1:46 span including a Lebron three off a Revan kickout for a 39-33 edge with 1:55 to play in the third.
New Brunswick then scored 4 of the last 5 points of the third including a layup from the left lane by Revan as he was fouled for a 43-34 lead heading into the fourth. West Windsor-Plainsboro South wouldn’t go away though as the Pirates scored 7 of the first 8 points of the final frame including a steal for a layup at the 4:13 mark to narrow the deficit to 44-41. Once again though, the Zebras didn’t break.
Instead, NBHS closed the game on an 11-5 run that included a nice drive and dish by Lebron to Revan for a layup and a 46-41 lead with 2:41 remaining in the game. Then, despite some struggles at the foul line, the Zebras were able to pull away thanks to a pair of free throws by Brown-Miller with 15 seconds remaining and a foul shot by Lebron for the 55-46 win.
With the victory, New Brunswick improved to 3-13 on the season including a 1-1 mark against non-conference schools. With the loss, West Windsor-Plainsboro South dropped to 3-14 on the year including a 2-4 mark against non-conference foes. New Brunswick returns to action next week with a game against Colonia at home next Thursday night at 7:00 PM.