ON POINT: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Chase Lewis puts up a shot in action last season. Junior guard Lewis has helped the Panthers catch fire in recent play as they have won eight of their last nine games and boast an overall record of 13-6. PDS hosts Springside-Chestnut Hill (Pa.) on February 12 and then competes in the state Prep B tournament where the first-seeded Panthers host No. 4 Wardlaw-Hartridge in the semis on February 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Chase Lewis was a solo act for the Princeton Day School boys’ hoops team at times last winter.

Despite being just a sophomore, Lewis was the team’s top scorer and main ball handler.

But with the addition of freshman guard David Coit and junior transfer forward John McArthur along with the development of junior guard Mark Washington, Lewis doesn’t have to carry the load this winter for the Panthers.

“I still have to be a leader on the team but it is not really a one-man thing any more, I have help this year,” said junior star Lewis.

“It makes it easy because before teams used to box and now they have to worry about three other players instead of just one. It opens things up.”

Last week, in a 76-36 win over visiting Pennington, PDS showed that balance as Lewis scored 16 points with Washington tallying 18 and McArthur and Craig Wrenn chipping in 12 apiece. The Panthers jumped out to a 19-5 lead in the first quarter of the February 2 contest and closed the deal by outscoring the Red Raiders 41-15 in the second half.

“We set the tone, we came out with a lot of energy,” said Lewis, reflecting on the victory.

“We talked about it in the locker room how we had to come out and make a statement. We kept it going, we kept the energy up high during the second half.”

With PDS having won eight of their last nine games and boasting an overall record of 13-6, Lewis sees the recent surge as a product of team unity.

“It is just us coming together as a team, the chemistry off the court has been good and you can see it on the court,” asserted Lewis.

“We are finding the open guy on the court. I think it was like a gradual thing from the beginning of the season, we were a little rusty and now we are picking it up.”

Lewis has picked up his game this season. “I improved a little on my jump shot and my passing,” added Lewis.

In reflecting on the team’s success, Lewis also credits new head coach Tim Williams with making a positive impact.

“He is more energetic, you can see his enthusiasm,” said Lewis of Williams, the PDS Director of Athletics who served as the head boys’ hoops coach at the Louisville Collegiate School for nine years before coming to New Jersey in 2011. PDS is enthusiastic about its prospects in the state Prep B tournament as it is seeded first and is slated to host No. 4 Wardlaw-Hartridge in the semis on February 14.

“It is not taking our foot off the pedal and just going at every team,” said Lewis in describing the team’s mind-set coming into the Prep tourney. “If we keep playing the way we have been playing, I think we will win it.”

Even if the Panthers don’t win the crown, Lewis has enjoyed playing on a deeper squad.

“It has been pretty fun,” said Lewis. “I haven’t been this far yet so it is an adventure.”