IN STRIDE: Princeton High girls’ basketball player Olivia Intartaglia, left, dribbles past a foe in recent action. Last Wednesday against WW/P-South, sophomore guard Intartaglia scored eight points off the bench but it wasn’t enough as PHS fell 32-24. The Little Tigers, who moved to 5-16 with a 40-27 loss to Steinert last Monday, are next in action when they compete in the Mercer County Tournament, where they are seeded 14th and play at third-seeded Allentown in a first round contest on February 17. Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Coming off the bench this season for the Princeton High girls basketball team, Olivia Intartaglia is determined to provide a spark.

“I look to fire up the team,” said sophomore guard Intartaglia. “If something isn’t going our way, I want to go in and revamp it and make everyone feel excited.”

Last Wednesday, PHS needed a boost as it trailed WW/P-South 15-5 at halftime after going scoreless in the second quarter.

“We weren’t getting the shots that we normally get and at the end of the first half we had only scored five points,” said Intartaglia.

Intartaglia carried the scoring load in the second half, tallying eight points over the last 16 minutes of the contest as the Little Tigers put a scare into the Pirates before falling 32-24.

“I think that my teammates did a really good job of throwing the pass over the defense to find me where I know I can shoot from,” said Intartaglia.

“If it wasn’t there to go into the basket, it was calling for the ball so I could get it for the shot.”

In reflecting on the defeat, Intartaglia acknowledged that the Little Tigers need to do a better job of competing hard for all four quarters.

“I think we learned to go into the game with the same aggression as we end it and to keep the intensity up the entire time rather than making a few shots and then getting fired up,” said Intartaglia.

After having played on the JV team for most of her freshman season, Intartaglia has undergone a learning process this winter in moving up to the varsity.

“The competition is definitely better; last year I was a driver completely, I drove to the basket on every play,” said Intartaglia.

“This year I have learned to do more things, such as making jump shots and shooting off the dribble, something I haven’t done as much.”

Playing with her twin sister, Anna, the starting point guard for the Little Tigers, has helped Intartaglia with that transition.

“It is so much fun; she is the point guard and I am an off guard,” said Intartaglia.

“I think we find each other really well on the court. She knows where I am and can pass to me. She knows my weaknesses and my strengths. We started together in the fifth  or sixth grade and we have played together the entire time.”

With the Intartaglia twins along with fellow sophomore Catherine Dyevich and Erin Devine forming the core of the squad, the future looks bright for the Little Tigers.

“We knew coming into this year that we were a group,” said Intartaglia, noting that the sophomores have been playing together since middle school.

“We have been trying to increase our level of ability and help out our team, and hopefully, win some more games as we get older.”

PHS, now 5-16 after a 40-27 loss to Steinert last Monday, is hoping to win some games in postseason action, which starts this week when it competes in the Mercer County Tournament, where the Little Tigers are seeded 14th and play at third-seeded Allentown in a first round contest on February 17.

“We are really hoping to stay competitive and to not go into games thinking we are going to lose or thinking a team is better than us because we know that we can win any game that we go into,” said Intartaglia.

“We are excited for that and just hoping to get more experience because when we go into the counties and state tournament, we know we are going to be playing some very good teams. I think that we have been making progress but I think that we still have a lot to work on. There is room to grow, there always is and I think it is good. We know what we have to work on and we know that we can fix the little mistakes that we have.”