BOUNCING AROUND: Michael Dowers of Princeton Youth Sports (PYS) dribbles through traffic in recent action in the Princeton Recreation Department Summer Men’s Basketball League. Last Monday, Dowers scored 12 points in a losing cause as PYS, the Princeton High boys’ hoops team entry in the summer league, fell 58-42 to Belle Mead Physical Therapy. In other action last Monday, Bring Me Food fell 42-36 to Winberie’s to suffer its first loss of the season and King’s Pizzarama topped Princeton Pi 69-64. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

When the Princeton Youth Sports (PYS) team dug an early 16-0 hole against Belle Mead Physical Therapy last Monday in the Princeton Recreation Department Summer Men’s Basketball League, it could have folded.

Instead, PYS, the Princeton High boys’ hoops team entry in the summer league, outscored Belle Mead 19-12 over the rest of the half to narrow the gap to 28-19 at halftime.

Midway through the second half, PYS pulled within 42-35 when Michael Dowers hit a three-pointer from the corner. But with only six players on hand, the team ran out of gas down the stretch on a humid night inside the PHS gym as Belle Mead pulled away to a 58-42 win.

Head coach Mark Shelley was proud of the way PYS kept battling. “I feel like we are more competitive this summer than we have been the last couple,” said Shelley, who will be entering his fourth season at the helm of the PHS program this winter.

“We won the first game this season. Not having Matt Hart tonight hurt, that game is five or 10 points closer. He is really good. He is away at an exposure camp all week in Boston so that is good. I am pleased with the competitiveness because a couple of years ago and to some extent last year, we just got run out of almost every game. There were some 30, 40 point games.”

Rising senior Michael Dowers, who tallied 12 points in the loss, is showing more game this summer.

“He is not just a three-point shooter; now, he is going to the basket some and that is going to have to happen,” said Shelley.

“When Matt is not here or he is hurt or Z (Zahrion Blue) is hurt, we need a third scorer. Michael has emerged, his defense has gotten better.”

Blue, who emerged as a star for PHS last winter in his sophomore campaign, got to the basket on Monday, scoring a team-high  of 15 points. “I thought Z was forcing a little bit early but then I think he settled in,” said Shelley.

“We ran a couple of easy sets I drew up just to get him the ball in a good spot, not necessarily to get a layup but just so they couldn’t clog the lane on him. We got him on the baseline a couple of times.”

Point guard Cristobal Silva is showing some good things this summer. “Cristo cuts very well, he has a good basketball IQ,” said Shelley of the rising junior.

“We have got him and Sam Serxner, who is not here tonight, who are both point guards. They are both good players but they are different players. Silva does some really nice things. He didn’t shoot as well as normal tonight, they were putting some pressure on him but he is a good shooter. He is a pure shooter. What we need him to do is to handle the pressure. I saw some growth from last week to this week.”

Rising senior Patrick Lafontant has been providing some good shooting this summer for PYS.

“Patrick was on JV last year and he has a scorer’s mentality,” said Shelley. “He is gym rat if there ever was a gym rat. If the gym was open at 3 a.m., he would be shooting at 3 a.m. He is there all the time. I told him after the game that your minutes are going to be determined by how well you improve defensively. He has got a lot of room to grow there but he can certainly help us. He is a good athlete, he has a great shot.”

In Shelley’s view, playing in the summer league, which features college age players and older, will help the team grow. “We talk about individual and collective improvement,” said Shelley, whose team dropped to 1-6 with the loss on Monday.

“So we want individual improvement, whether it is being a better shooter or for someone like Michael Dowers, it is being able to put the ball on the floor and finish inside. And there is some collective, like helping Zahrion emerge. At the end of the year, he became one of our two main guys. It is also letting some kids who played JV get a taste of a very tough opponent in terms of the speed of the game and toughen them up a little bit. I always give the guys a choice, do you want to play in this or a conventional summer league and they always want to do this. It is fun for them.”

Toughening up this summer should pay dividends in the winter for PHS. “We are looking forward to a good season,” said Shelley. “I think we will be improved from last year. That’s our goal, to do better.”