Princeton Day Ends Game with 9-2 Spurt to Advance to Final
NORTH EDISON, NJ—History appeared to be in the making at Laidlaw Gym on Sunday afternoon. After trailing 50-39 with a minute to play in the third quarter, 2nd seeded Wardlaw-Hartridge rallied with a 14-2 tear over a span of 6:34 to take its first lead since late in the first quarter at 53-52 with just 2:26 to play. Unfortunately, Princeton Day would emerge victorious by scoring 9 of the last 11 points to defeat the Rams, 61-54 in the 2022 NJSIAA Prep B Semifinals.
The game had plenty of drama, passion, and enthusiasm from the players, coaches, parents, and fans. There were a total of 7 lead changes and 4 ties throughout the contest. Neither had a lead bigger than 11 points. Princeton Day School seized control in the contest on a free throw in the final seconds of the first quarter, and didn’t relinquish it again until some 22 minutes later.
Sixth seeded Princeton Day, which defeated 3rd seeded Newark Academy in the opening round last Sunday (65-61), ended Wardlaw’s run in the Prep B Semis two years ago (55-39). The Panthers advance to the Prep B Championship for the second time in the last three years, and will face top seeded Doane Academy on Tuesday. Doane Academy, located in Burlington County, defeated 4th seeded Montclair Kimberley (74-60) in the other semi.
Meanwhile, Wardlaw, which defeated Carteret (76-38) in the 2022 GMCT Play-In Round on Saturday, will face 11th seeded East Brunswick in the Preliminary Round on Tuesday at 6:00 PM. The Rams also still have a chance to gain a share of the GMC Gold with a win over Piscataway Tech, and a Perth Amboy Tech victory over Timothy Christian. Wardlaw defeated TCS (66-56) on Wednesday night to keep its division hopes alive.
Princeton Day, which came into the game at 3-10 following a Mercer County Tournament Play-In Round victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Friday, was able to prevail thanks to superior foul shooting. The Panthers made the most of their trips to the line, especially down the stretch where they made 5 of 6 at the charity stripe to seal the victory.
The Rams did a tremendous job getting back into the contest after trailing by its biggest deficit of the game late in the third quarter. After the Panthers put together a 13-4 spurt over the last 4:51 of the third for its largest lead of the game at 50-39, Princeton Day was held scoreless for approximately six minutes as Wardlaw turned in perhaps its best defensive effort since head coach Brendan Wagner took over two years ago.
With Mehkai Huey swiping steals, Xavier Hinds deflecting passes, Jordan Severino blocking shots, and both Evan Benson and Harrison Kilpatrick guarding their men, Wardlaw took Princeton Day School out of its offensive rhythm while injecting life into its game. After struggling early on, and going to the bench with two points late in the first, Huey returned with the same energy he had brought during his 22 point performance versus TCS.
Once again, Huey made plays on defense to set himself up for transition scores on offense en route to a 20 point effort. Kilpatrick picked up where he left off versus Timothy Christian by making several more threes during this contest. Severino was relentless on the glass and the defensive end, and was one of the few Rams to have success at the foul line.
Evan Benson duplicated his effort versus TCS with another solid game including the game tying score with 3:37 to play while Hinds came up with several key scores during the contest including an acrobatic move for a bucket late in the third to spark the rally that would give Wardlaw its first lead in a span of 21:34.
Princeton Day would quickly answer each time Wardlaw either tied the game or take the lead in the final three minutes Following Benson’s score that squared the game at 50-50, the Panthers responded with a score at the other end on its very next possession for a 52-50 lead with 2:52 to go. Huey then gave the Rams its first lead since a little more than a minute to go in the first with a trifecta from the right wing that made the score 53-52 with 2:26 left.
The Panthers rapidly replied again with not only the go ahead score with just over two minutes to play, but then blocked a shot at the other end, and came back down for another score, and a 56-53 lead. Huey and Hinds would subsequently foul out as PDS ended the game with its last five points from the free throw line.
With the victory, PDS improved to 4-10 overall on the season while Wardlaw fell to 12-5 overall on the season. Both teams also are playing in the Non-Public B State Playoffs next month. The state cutoff was on Saturday, and the seeding is scheduled to take place on Tuesday. Wardlaw is competing in Non-Public B North, and was projected to be the 8th seed as of last Monday while Princeton Day is in Non-Public B South, and is presently seeded 13th.