COMING THROUGH: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Jahan Owusu dribbles past a foe in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, senior guard Owusu scored a game-high 18 points to help PHS defeat North Hunterdon 55-49 in the Cougar Classic at Montgomery High. The Tigers, who moved to 3-2 with the win, play at Trenton Central on January 5 at and at Hamilton West on January 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Jahan Owusu returned from the holiday break on a roll as the Princeton High boys’ basketball team faced Bridgewater-Raritan last Wednesday in the Cougar Classic at Montgomery High.

Senior guard Owusu tallied six points as PHS built a 21-16 lead over the Panthers in the first quarter.

“I feel like we were playing really well in the first half,” said Owusu. “We were hitting shots. Everybody was moving and cutting; everyone was getting involved today.”

But as the contest went on, the shots stopped falling for PHS as Bridgewater-Raritan pulled away to a 58-45 win.

“I don’t think we were aggressive enough,” said Owusu, who ended up with 11 points in the defeat. “We let go of the brake in the second half and that is what happened.”

Coming off a superb junior campaign which saw him score a team-high 314 points, Owusu is assuming more responsibility this winter in this final campaign at PHS.

“I am way more aggressive than last year, I have been working on my 3 ball,” said Owusu, who plays for the New Jersey Elite AAU program. “I have more of a leadership role, being able to help the younger guys understand the system so it is easier for them to transition.”

Last Friday, Owusu led the way, scoring a game-high 18 points to help PHS defeat North Hunterdon 55-49 as it wrapped up play in the Cougar Classic and improved to 3-2.

“I feel like everybody knows their role so it is not really hard to give everybody a role during the season,” said Owusu, reflecting on the team’s solid start. “We got rolling pretty quick.”

In order for the Tigers to keep rolling, they need to keep fine-tuning things.

“We need to get into practice, run our sets, and improve on some of the sets that we have so it is easier to get into the offense quicker and not let up in the second half,” said Owusu.

While PHS head coach Pat Noone liked the way his squad started against Bridgewater-Raritan, he acknowledged that things got away from the Tigers in the second half as they were outscored 29-16 after being tied 29-29 at halftime.

“We played real well to start,” said Noone. “We kind of flared out, we ran out of gas in the second half. The legs were short and  we couldn’t score. That caused a lot of issues for us.”

In the wake of the loss, Noone is looking for his squad to be sharper fundamentally.

“We are having some ability to score but then have a tough time scoring like today,” said Noone. “We played two good games in a row, it was a little lackluster today. Practice yesterday was a little lackluster. We have got to get a little more focused. We have to be way more aggressive, especially being able to adjust what we want to do with traps, screens. We are a little bit slow motion right now. I would really like us to get better at that.”

Owusu has displayed good focus all season long. “Jahan has been playing really well,” said Noone of Owusu, who is averaging 17.2 points a game this season. “He has been really successful, he has been fun to watch.”

Others who have played well for the Tigers include sophomore Michael Bess Jr.; senior Remmick Granozio, who hit three 3-pointers against Bridgewater-Raritan; and senior Frank McLaughlin.

“Mike is playing really good, he can really shoot,” said Noone of Bess, who scored 17 points in the win over North Hunterdon. “He has been a great energy booster off the bench. He has really been successful for us. We were looking for Remmick to continue that (his 3-point shooting); we need more longevity of that, it comes in bursts. Frank really played well today, he was a real bright spot for us as a point guard. I think he took a leap today doing that.”

With PHS playing at Trenton Central on January 5 and at Hamilton West on January 9, Noone believes his team can keep taking leaps collectively.

“We have to be a little more focused,” said Noone. “We just have to keep getting better each day and we will be able to get more successful that way.”

Owusu, for his part, is determined to help PHS enjoy a lot of success this winter.

“I want me and my team to win something this year, get to sectionals and win and possibly win MCTs,” said Owusu. “I want everyone to be able to be at their best.”