STONEWALL: Princeton High girls’ basketball player Taylor Stone works in the paint during a game last season. Last Wednesday, senior star and captain Stone scored a game-high 10 points in a losing cause as PHS fell 42-22 to Randolph in a consolation game in the Stuart Invitational Tournament. The Little Tigers, who dropped to 2-3 with the setback, will get the 2018 portion of their schedule underway when they host Hamilton on January 3 and then play at WW/P-North on January 5 and at Robbinsville on January 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Taylor Stone’s right index finger was swollen and taped but that didn’t stop her from carrying the load last Wednesday as the Princeton High girls’ basketball team faced Randolph in a consolation game in the Stuart Invitational Tournament.

With PHS lacking four players for the game due to other commitments, senior center and captain Stone knew that the squad was relying on her to come up big in the paint.

“We were missing a lot of our guards and ball handlers, so we had some younger players and more inexperienced girls coming up,” said Stone.

“They really did everything they could to help; we were just really shorthanded. I was trying to do everything I could really. It is a team thing.”

Stone crashed the boards throughout the contest, ending up with a game-high 10 points in a losing cause as the Little Tigers fell to Randolph 42-22 and moved to 2-3.

“Defensively, we have always been a good team and it has just been fixing the little things, making one more pass offensively to get a lay up instead of an off jump shot,” said Stone, reflecting on the setback.

As the team’s senior captain, Stone has looked to keep things positive for the Little Tigers.

“It has been a challenge, especially in a game like today where we get flustered,” said Stone. “I am trying to keep everyone together to find that success any way we can.”

PHS head coach Dave Kosa credited Stone with trying her best and doing yeoman’s work against Randolph.

“Taylor really worked hard inside,” said Kosa. “I want her to finish a little bit stronger sometimes, but she has been our inside force. She has played well; she was able to get a position down low.”

While acknowledging that he had to juggle his lineup due to the missing players, Kosa had no qualms with the effort he got in the loss.

“It is no excuse, the girls that were here just have to go out and play,” said Kosa. “We hung in there, we rely upon our defense when we are shorthanded like that.”

Fighting the uphill battle, however, ultimately took its toll on PHS. “We were lacking depth and when we wore down, they took advantage of that,” said Kosa. “It is little things here or there that just added up; it hurts when we don’t have four players.”

Looking forward, Kosa believes that the team’s offense will catch up with its defense.

“We have given up 40 points in just two games and everything else had been under 30,” said Kosa, whose team was slated to face Princeton Day School in the seventh place game of the Stuart tourney on December 29 before getting the 2018 portion of the schedule underway when it hosts Hamilton on January 3, then plays at WW/P-North on January 5, and at Robbinsville on January 9.

“We are going through this tough stretch offensively; I think it is going to click. It is just a matter of us understanding to finish shots and finishing games.”

In Stone’s view, PHS has the potential to produce a big finish to the winter.

“We have made a lot of progress,” said Stone. “We have a lot of work still to be done but I feel as the season goes on, there are a lot of bright spots and once we put them together, we could have something special here.”