PASSING IT ON: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Nandini Kolli passes the ball in recent action. Senior forward Kolli posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds as PDS defeated Steinert 33-27 in the MCCC (Mercer County Community College) Showcase on December 28 in its last action of 2024. The Panthers, who improved to 3-3 with the victory, host Hopewell Valley on January 9 and Hamilton West on January 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team, ending 2024 by edging Steinert 33-27 in the MCCC (Mercer County Community College) Showcase was proof of concept.

“It was good, giving us confidence going into the break; it helped the girls understand the work that we are doing is paying off,” said PDS first-year head coach Pat Reddington reflecting on the December 28 contest.

“We bought into a game plan, we bought into the defensive strategy of that we were trying to do. I think Shelby [Ruf] and Nandini [Kolli] outrebounding them by a significant amount was a big factor. They didn’t get a lot of second chances, that helped us keep them to that 27.”

The win over Steinert improved the Panthers to 3-3, already matching their win total from last season when they went 3-16.

“Everything that I expected from the girls is exactly what I am seeing, even through adversity, which is comforting,” said Reddington.

“They play hard and they like each other. That is why I took the job. Even in that Hightstown loss (49-18 on December 27 in its first game in the MCCC event), I come off the court and there is a lot of people there and the first thing they say is that your girls play hard. It is nice when you don’t have to coach effort and you can really just hone in on getting better as a team and as basketball players.”

Senior forward and co-captain Kolli has helped spark that effort from her teammates.

“Nandini is just a relentless leader, if I am late into the locker room or if I am walking away for whatever reason, she is riling the girls up,” said Reddington. “She is huddling them, she not only leads by example, but she is our vocal leader. She and Shelby are definitely our captains. Both of them just do a great job and the girls receive it the right way too.”

Kolli is also doing a great job on the court, having posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds against Steinert.

“She is constant, productive and consistent; we know what we are going to get from Nandini every single time she steps out on the floor,” said Reddington. “She is going to give everything she has as a player. We have been trying to get her stepping out a little bit besides just being around the basket. She has really been focusing on her shooting from the outside and shooting from the free throw line which helps us.”

Fellow captain Ruf has been stepping up with some rugged play in the paint, highlighted by grabbing 16 rebounds with eight steals in the win over Steinert.

“We missed Shelby the day before at Hightstown, she was away and you saw the difference,” said Reddington of Ruf, who also stars for PDS as a soccer goalie and lacrosse midfielder/attacker. “She didn’t come out of the game with Steinert, she played the entire 32 minutes. She leads the girls, She never gets tired. You don’t see any quit or any setback from her later in the game.”

Another soccer player, junior Ella McLaren, has emerged as a key player for the Panthers.

“Ella fits right on there with the mold of the Shelbys and the Nandinis, the more kids you have like that, the better off you are going to be,” said Reddington. “She is a big piece for us too. I am using her as a fifth starter or a sixth player. Her pressure is relentless. She is a tough, strong kid and another high level athlete that you don’t have to say much to when it comes to working hard.”

Leading the team with 11 3-pointer, junior guard Sophia Rae Barber has been producing from the perimeter.

“She opens everything up for us, she is shooting well,” said Reddington of Barber. “She is another great player for us. I am happy that she is a junior and we have some more time to work with her. She got into the lane a little bit against Steinert which was nice. She is starting to attack a little more.”

Sophomore guard Briana Camp has also been giving the Panthers some good work.

“Briana is another spark offensively, she can get points in bunches for us,” said Reddington. “I think that in the last couple of games when we got out to good starts, it was heavily on Briana.”

Taking on the responsibility of triggering the PDS offense, junior transfer Nica Martin has been a spark.

“My point guard Nica had a really good game against Steinert,” said Reddington. “She is learning the position a little bit, she didn’t really play much point guard last year. I kind of threw her into the mix. In the first game, she had nine turnovers. In the second game, it was down to five and in our win against Florence (71-13 on December 21), she ended with zero. She is really working on taking care of the ball and getting her teammates set up. She has been handling pressure, she has done a great job for us.”

Going forward, Reddington is focusing on bringing out the best in his players.

“It is continue to progress and get better every single day,” said Reddington. “I don’t think there is necessarily something specific or anything we are trying to work on to still cover. It is figuring out what our identity is because some of the things I have done in the past may not be this team’s identity. We are honing what we like to do, what we find successful, and building off of that.”

With PHS hosting Hopewell Valley on January 9 and Hamilton West on January 14 as it gets into the thick of Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) play, Reddington believes the Panthers can experience plenty of success in league play.

“Not having a forgone conclusion of who is going to win the CVC for the first time in a little while .is getting everybody excited,” said Reddington. “You see teams beating other teams that I think will lose to other teams so on and so forth. It is going to be exciting when we get into the CVC games.”