IN THE ZONE: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Paul Franzoni goes after the ball in recent action. Last Sunday, junior guard Franzoni provided hustle and six points to help top-seeded PDS defeat fourth-seeded Wardlaw-Hartridge 63-44 in the state Prep B semifinals. The Panthers, now 14-7, will host third-seeded Morristown-Beard in the championship game on February 17. In addition, PDS will be playing in the Mercer County Tournament, where it is seeded fifth and will host No. 12 Hamilton in a first round contest on February 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Three years ago, gritty forward B. J. Dudeck took care of the dirty work on the court as the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team advanced to the state Prep B finals.

This winter, Dudeck’s younger cousin, junior guard Paul Franzoni, is following in his footsteps for the PDS squad.

“I am going out there and trying to battle and do my job,” said Franzoni. “I score when I have to, box out, get rebounds and just hustle, like my cousin B.J.”

Like his cousin before him, Franzoni is now headed to a state Prep B title game as he contributed plenty of hustle and six points last Sunday as top-seeded PDS pulled away to a 63-44 win over fourth-seeded Wardlaw-Hartridge in the semifinals.

Although PDS jumped out to an early 17-7 lead, it had to battle to hold off an upset-minded Wardlaw team who drew to within two points at 26-24 in the second quarter and trailed 44-41 late in the third.

“There was a bit of a lull coming into the second quarter; the message at halftime was to get back to our game and do what we do,” said Franzoni.

“It took us a couple of minutes but we worked back to it. Once we are playing on, we are on. Once in a while we will hit a lull but we just have to play like ourselves.”

Getting back to the Prep B final is special for Franzoni and his teammates as they look forward to hosting third-seeded Morristown-Beard in the title contest on February 17.

“It is a big deal, we haven’t won one since 1999,” noted Franzoni. “We are looking to get another one this year and make some history.”

In reflecting on the squad’s improvement as it is now 14-7 after going 5-17 last winter, Franzoni believes an infusion of new blood made a big difference.

“The guys who have come in, John McArthur, David Coit, and Craig Wrenn, have done a great job, it has been a huge culture switch,” said Franzoni.

“It helped having Amir Melvin coming back and Chase Lewis is an awesome player. The chemistry has been great this year.”

In Franzoni’s view, new head coach Tim Williams has given the team a lift in succeeding Paris McLean.

“Coach Williams has been great,” asserted Franzoni. “You lose a guy like Paris, it is a tough thing. He has stepped in and has done a great job.”

Williams, for his part, was pleased with how his team regained momentum in the second half, closing the game with a 19-3 run.

“We just said that we wanted to up our energy back to where we started it,” said Williams.

“I think some of the early foul calls made us a little more tentative. We said no one is in foul trouble any more, we have some guys with two fouls. We are going to move forward with our energy. We started off well but they came back again.”

Williams credits the energy provided by Franzoni as a spark in PDS’s run to the title game.

“The things that Paul does don’t always show up in the stat sheet,” said Williams.

“You will look in the book and it will say zero points or whatever but the energy that he brings, the talk, and the confidence that he brings really exudes through the team. He was elected captain of this team for a reason and it wasn’t because he was going to score 20 points a game. He relishes doing the dirty work and we need guys who want to do that.”

PDS has gotten what it needed from junior transfer John McArthur as he contributed 21 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Wardlaw.

“John does a lot for us, he has been asked to play a number of different roles and he has been great,” said Williams.

“His natural position is on a wing but we have asked him to play some inside and a little outside but more inside just because we don’t have a whole lot of height. We really appreciate what he has done for us. He personally controlled the boards in the first quarter. I think he had seven or eight rebounds in the first quarter alone.”

Williams appreciates the work his team put in collectively as it has earned the chance to play for a prep title.

“I know we haven’t made a Prep B final since Davon (former PDS superstar and current University of Miami standout Davon Reed) was a senior in 2013,” said Williams.

“It really means a lot to be able to come back and do that. These guys really worked hard in the offseason. The guys that were returning, the new guys that came in have really bought into what we have been asking them to do. That has been the key, they have been really receptive to the things we have been asking them to do. I think they have really improved incrementally throughout the whole season.”

In Williams’ view, his team’s late surge, which has seen it win nine of its last 11 games, has been the product of increased defensive intensity.

“We have a number of really good individual offensive players but I thought that the defense was lagging behind,” said Williams, whose team will also be starting play in the Mercer County Tournament this week where it is seeded fifth and will host No. 12 Hamilton in a first round contest on February 18.

“I think once the defense started to click and the whole team concept of the defense started to click then we really started to roll. As you can see, we create a number of offensive opportunities off of our defense. It really helps if you can get some easy baskets now and again, especially at pivotal moments.”

Franzoni, for his part, is primed to help PDS keep rolling to a Prep B crown. “We are just going to come out here and play our game,” said Franzoni.

“We have just got to battle, play hard, and play tough with a chip on our shoulder and we will be fine. I am looking forward to it.”