STEPPING UP: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Chase Lewis heads upcourt last Thursday against Pennsauken Tech. Sophomore guard Lewis scored a game-high 25 points in the contest but it wasn’t enough as PDS dropped a 39-36 nailbiter. Last Monday, Lewis and the Panthers topped Morrisville (Pa.) 44-38 to improve to 3-7. PDS plays at South Brunswick on January 15 and at Steinert on January 17. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Although he is just a sophomore, Chase Lewis has a lot on his shoulders this winter for the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team.

As the lead guard and one of just three returning players on the PDS roster, Lewis does the bulk of the ball handling and scoring for the Panthers.

While such responsibility may be daunting for such a young player, Lewis is relishing the opportunity.

“You would think it is a lot of pressure but I don’t really feel the pressure because I am usually a leader,” said Lewis. “It is easy for me.”

Last Thursday against Pennsauken Tech, Lewis led the way for the Panthers, scoring 25 points in a losing cause as PDS dropped a 39-36 nailbiter.

Coming into the game, Lewis was looking to be more aggressive.

“I get a lot of openings but usually I am a little passive,” said Lewis. “Today I just tried to attack the basket more and put my team in the best position.”

PDS was in position to win against Pennsauken Tech as it trailed by just 31-27 entering the fourth quarter and then narrowed the gap to 36-34 on a basket by Lewis with 1:28 remaining in regulation.

“I would say our defense was on point; our offense wasn’t but we still battled to the basket and got some strong shots,” Lewis. “Our effort was better than usual.”

Lewis put in a lot of effort to make himself a better all-around player. “My jump shot got a little better,” said Lewis “My ballhanding and my on-ball defense is also better.”

With PDS featuring a number of inexperienced players in the wake of heavy graduation losses, Lewis is seeing collective progress.

“We have a lot of people who are new to basketball so they have improved a lot from the beginning of the season to right now,” said Lewis.

PDS head coach Paris McLean was pleased with Lewis’ effort against Pennsauken Tech, noting that his basketball skills were on full display.

“Chase has been outstanding; this is a game where his talents were really showcased,” said McLean.

“He was able to drive to the cup, he was able to finish at the rim. He was facilitating well. He is not a selfish player, he sees the floor well and when someone collapses on him, someone else is open. He is hitting those guys and they are going to start knocking down their shots. It was a great effort by him. He was very active. He has a motor, he can go all day.”

Senior J.P. Radvany gave the Panthers a great effort in the paint. “It doesn’t show up in the box score,” said McLean. “I thought he had at least 10 rebounds and he picked up a lot of charges, he does a lot of the dirty work. It is not glamorous, it is not going to be on the back page of the paper but it is going to be what you need to win ball games.”

McLean thought PDS was going to get the win against Pennsauken Tech. “It was a fantastic effort; they have worked hard all year, the coaching has worked hard all year,” said McLean, whose team did get a victory as it defeated Morrisville  (Pa.) 44-38 last Monday to improve to 3-7.

“We put ourselves in a position to win. I really felt like we were going to pull that out. Coach McKinley said it best, we easily left 16, 20 points out on the court on actually missed layups, not contested layups. These are the types of games we have to win, especially at home. We just said this is the difference between being a .500 ball club and being sub .500.”

In McLean’s view, his squad’s defensive intensity is making a difference.

“We just have to keep competing everyday,” said McLean, whose team plays at South Brunswick on January 15 and at Steinert on January 17.

“Our defense is good. We held another team to under 40 points, that is what our litmus is. We have got to get defensive runs. Teams talk about going on offensive runs, we need consecutive stops on consecutive possessions.”

Although the Panthers are taking their lumps, McLean believes the team’s competitive spirit hasn’t waned.

“They are enjoying the game, there is a lot of learning going on,” said McLean. “There is a lot of coaching on the fly, a lot of coaching in practice. They are great teammates, picking each other up.”

Lewis, for his part, is confident that PDS will continue bringing a great effort.

“We just have to give our all,” said Lewis. “We are not a very skilled team so we are going to have to give twice as much effort as other teams.”