(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) REWARDING JOURNEY: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball senior tri-captain Raquel Phillips, right, together with classmates and fellow captains, Marissa Davila, left, and Dani Dawkins display the trophy the team earned for taking second in the state Prep B tournament. The Panthers fell 70-52 to top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s in the title game last Wednesday to end the season with an 18-6 record. It marked the end of quite a journey for Phillips and her classmates as they started their PDS careers with a rough 6-15 campaign in 2006-07.

Senior Leader Phillips Enjoyed the Ride as PDS Girls’ Hoops Made Prep B Finals

Bill Alden

Based on her rocky freshman season with the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team in 2006-07, Raquel Phillips didn’t have a lot of confidence in the program’s future prospects.

“Coming down the court as a freshman point guard, I never saw a winning season when we were losing games by 50,” said Phillips, noting that the team went 6-15 that season.

This winter, Phillips has seen things come full circle as the Panthers piled up win after win and brought an 18-5 record into the state Prep B championship game at Gill St. Bernard’s last Wednesday.

In the early going, it looked like third-seeded PDS was on the way to culminating its reversal of fortune with a state title as it jumped out to a 16-14 first quarter lead over top-seeded Gill.

“We actually got off to an amazing start; it was really unexpected,” said tri-captain Phillips.

“We came out of the gate and we were making all of our shots. The plays were running through and then we just hit a wall.”

But Gill, showing why it is ranked ninth in the state by the Newark Star Ledger among all girls’ teams, seized control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 23-11 in the quarter.

The Knights never looked back, utilizing a stifling defense and balanced offense to pull away to a 70-52 triumph.

In reflecting on the loss, Phillips acknowledged that PDS didn’t have the depth to deal with talented Gill.

“It’s really hard when you have a team of eight in total and there are always three hurt,” said Phillips, who hit a free throw in the loss.

“Not having Sarah [Godwin] definitely hurt us a lot so we had to really adjust a lot of things in the past two games. It was even harder with the pressures of the championship game. There are three seniors which would seem like a lot percentage-wise but the mindset is really young.”

Despite the result, Phillips and her senior classmates and fellow captains, Dani Dawkins and Marissa Davila, managed smiles as they collected the second-place trophy after the game.

“I think Jess [PDS head coach Jessica Katz] said we were the second highest ranking PDS basketball team since 1988; just to have that is amazing,” said Phillips, a versatile athlete who also stars in soccer and softball for the Panthers.

“Just making it this far as a young team and going from a 6-15 record to 18-6 in my four years at PDS, it’s a total flip.”

In Phillips’ view, going through the tough times with her classmates helped pave the way for this winter’s magic.

“Because we had so many girls that were young when I started, it kept the team together longer,” explained Phillips.

“I have been playing with these girls for a minimum of two years; just the fact that we have kept the same tight knit group has helped us grow. We all know how each other play; it really makes a difference.”

PDS head coach Katz acknowledged that Gill’s suffocating defense made a big difference in the contest.

“That press just really got to us; we have been handling pressure a lot better at the end of the season but we also haven’t seen a team of this caliber,” said Katz, who got 28 points from sophomore guard Janie Smukler and 23 from junior center Tiffany Patterson in the defeat.

“They are a very good team. We had a shorter bench; we didn’t have our third scorer [Godwin]. If you look at our book we only had one other person than Tiff or Janie who got a point and that wasn’t going to work if we were going to win this game.”

Katz liked the work she got from Smukler and Patterson. “They are so tough; they played great,” asserted Katz.

“I don’t understand why Janie Smukler’s whole body isn’t black and blue. Tiffany is just a real presence under there and is finally looking for her shot first. She just had great moves to the basket.”

Notwithstanding the outcome in the title game, Katz believes her club had a great season.

“It is one of the best years that PDS basketball has had since 1988,” said Katz. “In 1994-95, they were 20-6 so this is the second best.”

In Katz’s view, her trio of seniors played a major role in the team’s success.

“I got a little teary-eyed watching them go out and get that trophy,” said Katz.

“I have been with these girls all four years. I was working in admissions office when they were applying and I remember them from that. They are the glue that has been this team; it will be hard to see them go. They have been an integral part of changing the face of this program. We’ll miss them a lot.”

Phillips and her two classmates went out of their way to savor the moment as they ended their unlikely journey to a title game.

“We had a nice little moment at the beginning before we walked out to warmup where we all stayed together in the back and looked at each other,” recalled Phillips.

“This is our last game; we are three people who have been starting varsity players for four years. We definitely had a moment; it wasn’t tearworthy because we had to go out and play.”

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