SHOOTING STAR: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Sophia Rae Barber dribbles upcourt in a game last season. Last Friday, junior guard Barber scored nine points to help PDS defeat WW/P-South 34-27 as it won its third straight game. The Panthers, now 7-4, play at Trenton Central on January 22 and at Lawrence High on January 23 before hosting Princeton High on January 28. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Sophia Rae Barber got off to a rough start as the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team hosted Hamilton West last week.

PDS junior guard Barber scored just two points in the first half of the January 14 contest and ended up on her knees vomiting in a bucket behind the Panther bench just before halftime.

At intermission, Barber started feeling better as she warmed up.

“That wasn’t my best moment,” said Barber noting that she got an upset stomach from eating some fast food earlier in the day. “During halftime, I put a few shots up and I was making shots. I was like come on, why am I making them at halftime and not in the game. That just got me going a little bit.”

In the second half, Barber got going, scoring 14 points to help PDS pull away to a 47-27 win.

“I just kept on shooting, my mentality is just get up as many shots as possible,” said Barber, who drained four 3-pointers on the way to scoring a game-high 16 points.

“That is my primary role on the team to keep on shooting whether I had a bad first half or maybe I did good in the first half but I am not doing so good in the second half. This is probably one of my best games.”

Barber put in a lot of work over the offseason to be at her best this winter.

“Over the summer, I played AAU,” said Barber. “In the fall, I got as many shots up as I could.”

With PDS posting a 3-16 record last winter, Barber likes how the Panthers are getting after it this winter under new head coach Pat Reddington.

“I think the biggest thing is that our new coach really believes in us, you can really feel the shift from last year to this year,” said Barber, who scored nine points to help PDS defeat WW/P-South 34-27 last Friday as it won its third straight game and improved to 7-4. “It is just the energy on the team.”

PDS has been showing energy at the defensive end. “During practice our coach really preaches defense, most coaches just say play a three-two but they don’t actually teach you how to guard,” said Barber.

PDS head coach Reddington likes the defensive effort he got from his players in the win over Hamilton. “I think the key for us is the defensive end; if we hold teams to 10 points and put up 20 that is the type of game we like to be in,” said Reddington, whose team led 20-10 at halftime. “It was a full team effort and they all locked in and were focused on one common goal which is what we are trying to do. We had a full roster get in there and contribute and help us out and do their job.”

Reddington credited Barber with making a major contribution to the victory.

“She opens everything up for us,” said Reddington of Barber. “They play in that two-three zone so if we are not hitting from the outside it is easy for teams to sit back on us and play defense and really pack it in. So when she hits that, it opens up the middle for Nandini [Kolli] and Shelby [Ruf] and different girls on the team.”

The pair of senior forwards and co-captains Kolli and Ruf gave the Panthers a good inside presence against the Hornets as Kolli tallied six points and eight rebounds with Ruf chipping in three points and five rebounds.

“I think Nandini sat for maybe three minutes, Shelby doesn’t really come out of games,” said Reddington. “I wanted to put Shelby a little bit more as a ball handler this season. I want a bigger presence against pressure so we can handle the pushing and the more physical play. Her and Nandini have been our leaders from day one. We go as they go.”

Junior point guard Nica Martin helped the team go as well, scoring 10 points with four rebounds and five assists in the win over Hamilton.

“I think the IQ of the game is important and playing the game the right way is important,” said Reddington. “And it all starts with your quarterback of the offense which is our point guard and that has been Nica. I thought she handled the pressure pretty well. She hit some nice shots too and found some nice plays. She has done a great job for us. We are happy she is here for sure.”

Reddington is happy with the effort he is getting from his players collectively.

“We don’t give up, we don’t quit and that is what is important,” said Reddington, whose team is playing at Trenton Central on January 22 and at Lawrence High on January 23 before hosting Princeton High on January 28. “We have the heart and we stay together throughout the process.We are going to continue to get better every single day which has been the goal. The girls believe in themselves. The goal is to get them being the best versions of themselves and I think that is the trajectory we are going.”

Barber, for her part, believes that PDS is heading in the right direction.

“I think honestly just keep on what we are doing, we are already 5-4 which is way better than last season when we were 3-16,” said Barber. “It is just keep on working and keep on getting better every day at practice.”