By Bill Alden

Brendan Rougas toiled for the Princeton High junior varsity boy’s basketball squad last winter.

Last Friday, junior guard Rougas made his first varsity start as PHS hosted Lawrence High in its season opener, and he didn’t waste any time making an impact.

Rising to the occasion, Rougas drained a three-pointer to open the contest and added another bucket moments later, setting the tone as the Little Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back on the way to a 60-34 victory.

Rougas ended up with 20 points and was mobbed on the court afterward by student fans, congratulating him on his big game.

In reflecting on his hot start, Rougas credited his teammates and the raucous student section with being in his corner.

“Our offense is based on moving the ball around and getting open lay-ups,” said Rougas.

“I just took the open shots and they happened to go in. It felt amazing to get that crowd support.”

As the night went on, Rougas kept draining shots, scoring nine points in the third quarter and adding six in the fourth.

“I was just taking advantage of opportunities that my teammates provided for me,” said Rougas. “It was a great job by everybody.”

The Little Tigers did a good job at the defensive end as they held Lawrence to 21 points through three quarters in breaking open the contest.

“Our 2-3 zone was great, everybody hustled, got steals, and went for the ball,” said Rougas.

“We had a great defensive rebounding game; I just thought everybody played great as a team.”

With PHS losing nine seniors to graduation from last year’s squad, the squad’s new faces have focused on getting in synch.

“We just worked on playing together, building chemistry and everything just worked out well tonight,” said Rougas.

“It feels great for everybody and I am just very appreciative of the coaches for getting us ready for this game.”

PHS head coach Patrick Noone was happy to see Rougas enjoy a great game in the opener.

“Brendan was unbelievable; I think each night we might have someone different step up,” said Noone. “Tonight it was Brendan’s night, which was awesome.”

For Noone, the highlight of the night was the way the Little Tigers shared the ball.

“I think the best part about tonight and the way we have been playing is the ball movement,” said Noone. “It doesn’t stop. That is so huge and we are stepping into shots.”

The ball movement resulted in a number of players getting involved in the scoring.

“I loved the balance and the depth,” added Noone, who got eight points from both Isaac Webb and Tommy Doran in the win with Sam Tarter and Amon Jakisa chipping in seven points apiece.

“We did a lot of subbing and everybody did well. This team has been really good at doing their job and what they are good at. Nobody tries to do too much. It is ‘hey this is what I can do,’ and it is just run it and do it.”

Noone was also happy with how the Little Tigers got the job done at the defensive end.

“When you play defense like that and hold guys, it is a pride thing,” said Noone.

“It is not a skill thing; it is a grind thing. You just go in there and say ‘we are going to stop you,’ and all five worked together tonight. It was good.”

In Noone’s view, the way PHS performed in the opener is a good blueprint for success this winter.

“It is: do that same thing,” said Noone, whose team hosts Hightstown on December 21. “I just love the team effort and that they are all in it for each other.”

Rougas, for his part, believes that effort will make the difference going forward.

“If we keep the intensity up and keep the energy up, everything else will fall into place,” said Rougas.