Princeton vs Hopewell Valley Top Standouts
Two powerhouses of the Colonial Valley Conference met on Tuesday night in a matchup that will be looked at for the rest of the year. Princeton hosted Hopewell Valley, looking to extend their unbeaten record while Hopewell Valley looked to…
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Continue ReadingTwo powerhouses of the Colonial Valley Conference met on Tuesday night in a matchup that will be looked at for the rest of the year. Princeton hosted Hopewell Valley, looking to extend their unbeaten record while Hopewell Valley looked to continue a strong start and play a bit of spoiler to Princeton’s perfect season. In a game that came down to the very end it was Princeton that came out on top 40-37, and although one team had to be considered the loser, we learned a lot about what makes both teams so strong
1st Star: Franki Gomez, Hopewell Valley: Gomez has continued her stellar run of play to start the year for Hopewell Valley. She once again led the team in scoring with 18 points, showing off her ability to be a threat as both an outside shooter (2 three pointers) and a slasher once she gets the ball in her hands in the lane. While she did most of the heavy lifting offensively, Gomez still looked to get her other teammates involved and finished the night with two assists as well. Overall just another great night for a rock solid player.
2nd Star: Nora Devine, Princeton: While the stats don’t jump out at you, Nora Devine was the glue that held Princeton together in this game. Devine helped her teams cause with 10 points but it was everything else she did that frustrated Hopewell Valley so much. Getting to the line and scoring from the free throw line five times shows she was willing to force contact and get the other team into foul trouble, she continued to frustrate the opposition defensively with her five rebounds and three blocks. Devine didn’t explode in this game, but in a tight matchup between two good teams she proved to be a consistent option on the winning side.
3rd Star: Casey Serxner, Princeton: In a game where everyone chipped in offensively, a freshman in Casey Serxner led Princeton in scoring. In this one Serxner scored 11 points with two three pointers, showing she can be a reliable offensive weapon at a very young age. Besides that she also led the team with three assists, showing she doesn’t force bad shots when she doesn’t need to. The rest of the Princeton offense is good enough that even when Serxner isn’t putting the ball in the basket herself they can still win, her being able to set up those role players consistently showed that.
4th Star: Acadia Kurtz, Hopewell Valley: Not known for her offensive game, Acadia Kurtz has found ways to effect the play around her without having to do a ton on one side of the floor. She only scored four points against Princeton but Kurtz was all over the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds in a close loss. When opponents drive in on her they often times have to go to a secondary move to get shots up because of how active she is inside the paint, she doesn’t let offenses get easy shots up as shown by her three blocks. Kurtz knows what she is and what she isn’t, she doesn’t try to do too much and focuses on what she’s great at which makes her such a dangerous player.
5th Star: Molly Brown, Princeton: None of Molly Brown’s stats fly off the page, but as a whole the junior had another well rounded game. She wasn’t the top option offensively but was always in the right spots to make plays, ending the night with a stuffed stat sheet of five points, six rebounds and two assists. Brown is the definition of a team player, she does what is asked of her and often times makes her teammates look great because of the work she puts in. This was the prototypical game for Molly Brown, her selfless game is one of the reasons why Princeton was able to pull off a close win.