DRAWING A CROWD: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Sam Serxner dribbles the ball in the paint against a group of foes in recent action. Last Friday, junior guard Serxner scored nine points in a losing cause as PHS fell 59-54 to WW/P-N to drop to 4-11.  The Little Tigers play at Notre Dame on February 5 and host Hillsborough on February 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Sam Serxner knew that the Princeton High boys’ basketball team needed him to be more productive offensively as it hosted WW/P-N last Friday.

With top scorer Matt Hart sidelined by a leg injury, PHS was looking for points from different sources.

“Matt is obviously a great scorer; he is a leader of the team but we have a next man up philosophy,” said junior guard Serxner. “If he is out, we have all got to step up and chip in and try to get the win.”

Scoring on some runners in the lane and hitting one three-pointer, Serxner chipped in nine points on the evening.

“As the season has gone on I have grown into more of a role,” said the 5’9 Serxner.

“At the beginning of the season, I was more of a facilitator and I am keeping that role. But especially with Matt out, I am looking for my own shot more to generate offense for the team.”

Serxner’s increased production, though, wasn’t enough as a late PHS rally fell short and WW/P-N pulled out a 59-54 victory.

“We really put a good fight, we came back and tied the game,” said Serxner, who hit a bucket to knot the game at 39-39 early in the fourth quarter.

“It is really a lot of credit to North. We were hitting shots but every time we hit shots, they responded. It was a really good performance for them.”

Although PHS was disappointed to fall short of victory, Serxner liked the way the team battled to the final buzzer.

“I think this game came down to some execution stuff like free throws and that was the difference in the game,” said Serxner. “It is hard for us to hang our heads, we had a great effort in that game.”

For Serxner, who also stars for the PHS boys’ soccer team, playing two sports make a big difference for him.

“When I was younger, I was almost always a basketball player first,” said Serxner.

“I really only developed into a soccer player later. I love playing both sports. It is great to be able to play them back to back. I feel really fit coming into basketball, I can play the entire game if I need to. In soccer, you always have to play with your head up and you always have to play with your head up in basketball. That is translated really well to both.”

PHS head coach Mark Shelley credited Serxner with playing some heads up basketball in the loss to WW/P-N.

“I thought Sam Serxner’s effort was tremendous,” said Shelley. “It wasn’t just the points, it is things that weren’t in the box score. Their No 3, Winston Delk, is so good at getting in the lane and he did not get in the lane once Sam went man-to-man on him. That was key.”

In Shelley’s view, PHS’s subpar foul shooting was a key factor in its defeat.

“We were shorthanded, I felt like we played as well as we could, other than hitting free throws,” said Shelley.

“I had them at 12-for-15 from the line and we were 5-for-14, that is a seven point difference and we lost by five. We fought so hard. I thought we handled the end of the game well, considering we were down five or six. To me, it was the missed free throws in the first half that put us down two possessions, instead of one.”

Junior Zahrion Blue and senior Michael Dowers played well as Blue scored  22 points and Dowers chipped in 13.

“Zahrion is unguardable in the open floor,” said Shelley. “I was real proud to see that Michael Dowers stepped up. We told him that was what we need from him when Hart comes back.”

Although the loss to WW/P-N was the sixth in seven games for PHS, Shelley believes his squad is sticking together.

“They love each other, they practice well,” said Shelley, whose team plays at Notre Dame on February 5 and hosts Hillsborough on February 6. “They really enjoy each other.”

In Serxner’s view, PHS is on the right track despite the recent string of defeats.

“We don’t think of it like that, we are playing well,” asserted Serxner. “Every game, I think we are improving. We are going to get Hart back on Tuesday and I think we are going to be ready to win.”