ENCORE PERFORMANCE: Members of the Princeton Supply team celebrate after they topped Lob City 42-26 last Wednesday at the Community Park courts to sweep the best-of-three championship series in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. It marked the second straight league title for Princeton Supply, who went 12-0 this summer. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Recreation Department)

By Bill Alden

After Princeton Supply won ugly with a lackluster 41-39 victory over Lob City in the opener of the best-of-three championship series of the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League, Troy Jones and his teammates were determined to produce a sharper performance in game two.

“We knew we didn’t shoot particularly well out here on Monday, it was probably our worst game of the season,” said Jones, explaining the team’s mindset coming into the contest last Wednesday night at the Community Park courts. “We all talked after the game, we knew we played a bad game. It happens but we still won. Coming in today, it was we know how to play basketball. We know how to win so we came with the mindset of forget Monday.”

Utilizing a stifling defense and hitting some key shots, top-seeded Princeton Supply throttled third-seeded Lob City 42-26 to win its second straight league title and culminate a perfect 12-0 campaign.

Princeton Supply set the tone early, jumping off to a 20-9 halftime lead.

“Everybody came to guard,” said Jones. “I can say that we were on the same page. We had the same rotations. We made sure that made the extra box outs that we needed that we didn’t do in game one. We knew we had to come in here and execute.”

SUPPLY CHAIN: Princeton Supply’s Troy Jones looks to pass the ball last week in the championship series of the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Jones scored a game-high 16 points to help top-seeded Princeton Supply defeat third-seeded Lob City 42-26 last Wednesday to sweep the best-of-three series and earn its second straight league title. Jones was named the Foreal Wooten Playoff MVP as Princeton Supply finished the summer with a 12-0 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Jones executed at the offensive end, tallying 10 points in the first half, draining two 3-pointers in the process.

“It was just get it a little kick-started,” said Jones. “Once we see a couple of threes go in, it makes it much easier and everybody feeds off of that.”

In the second half, Princeton Supply utilized its depth to wear down Lob City.

“They got a little tired, I know that we had more guys and it plays in our favor,” said Jones. “That is why I enjoy playing for coach Phil [Vigliano], he can use our guys and give them a new look and we use that to our advantage. He puts in a fresh five.”

Earning a second straight league title was enjoyable for Princeton Supply.

“It is big; it is very hard to repeat anywhere just in general,” said Jones. “It doesn’t matter what the league is. We take this as another accomplishment. All credit to coach Phil for putting the team together, I call him the GM.”

The squad’s strength in numbers helped pave the way to the title repeat.

“We have depth, sometimes people can’t make games and other people can,” said Jones. “Having that depth and making sure that you are executing at a high level, at least higher than your opponents, that is the recipe for good basketball.”

Star guard Jones brought some high-level play to the court this summer.

“I do a little bit of everything,” said Jones, who scored 16 points in the title clincher with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. “If I am scoring that night, I am scoring. If I have to rebound, I rebound. If I have to get an assist, I get an assist. I have no care about my role, all I care about is getting the wins.”

Providing that all-around contribution helped Jones get named the Foreal Wooten Playoff MVP for the second season in a row.

“It is an honor. I don’t even think I played particularly well in the finals, but I will take it,” said Jones. “I told all of them, I don’t get this without them.”

Vigliano, for his part, loved the way his team played at the defensive end last Wednesday.

“I told them to just go out and play your game tonight, I just felt that they did that,” said Vigliano. “We held them to 26 points, nine points at halftime. I push them to be better each game out. I know how hard it is when we play like that, to be a professional, to be the best you can be.”

The Princeton Supply players responded well to getting pushed.

“I said if your guy catches the ball 24 times in a game, I want to stop that guy 24 times,” said Vigliano. “That is the mentality you have to have and we contested everything. We were able to hang it on our defense and show that we are not just this offensive juggernaut that can come out and outscore teams. We clamped down. What we did defensively, I don’t even know if it has been done in this league before like that.”

Jones helped trigger things at the offensive end. “He had a better second half than a first half,” said Vigliano. “He is a great player.”

Vigliano also got some great performances in the clincher from Peter Sorber in the paint as he contributed 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots while Julian McGowan stared on the perimeter, chipping in eight points, 10 rebounds, and three steals.

“Peter is going to be playing overseas,” said Vigliano. “He is a next level player so you expect that — the blocked shots, the rebounding, and then just nobody wanting to go in there because of his presence. Julian was a shot in the arm for us.”

In earning the title repeat, Princeton Supply got solid play throughout the lineup.

“It was the same team but a few adds. There is always that ‘OK, you want to do it again,’” said Vigliano. “We wanted to add the guys and get them a championship because I wasn’t able to play them as many minutes as I wanted. They were great, they just cared about winning. That is what we showed throughout the year.”

The focus on winning resulted in the squad producing a perfect record. “There were no slip-ups like last year where we had one loss,” said Vigliano. “This year we came back and we said we wanted to go undefeated and go through the playoffs and play our best ball. I have to give Lob City credit because they are a really good team. It is not that we didn’t get the results that we should have, they just played hard.”

Princeton Supply’s abundance of talent and athleticism helped produce those results.

“We are conditioned athletes, where they are a little older,” said Vigliano. “We have eight or nine guys of what the other teams have one or two. That is where we are at.”

In the view of Jones, Princeton Supply’s team chemistry complemented that ability.

“We love each other, we all enjoy playing basketball,” said Jones. “We love playing for coach Phil. It is always a ball.”