(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: POLISHED GEM: Stuart Country Day School senior guard Diamond Lewis heads up the court in action this winter. Four-year starter Lewis was a shining star once again for the Tartans, averaging 19.5 points a game with five assists and five steals.

Stuart Hoops Overcame Adversity to Produce Solid 10-9 Campaign

Bill Alden

Starting the season without two of its key players out due to knee injuries, the Stuart Country Day School basketball team was a bit out of synch in the early going.

Indeed, the Tartans got off to a 2-5 start as they adjusted to playing without the sidelined Jasmine Smarr and Amber Bowman.

But with senior point guard Diamond Lewis shouldering a greater share of the load and Smarr returning to action with eight games left, Stuart found a rhythm.

The Tartans ended the season with a 56-33 win over Princeton High and a 53-41 triumph over Allentown in its finale to push its final record over .500 at 10-9.

Stuart head coach Tony Bowman was proud of his team’s strong finish. “We most definitely showed progress,” said Bowman, referring to the win over PHS in which the Tartans avenged an earlier loss to the Little Tigers.

“At times we weren’t consistent on offense and we didn’t always play good defense but in that game we did both. Diamond had one of best games as a point guard. Everybody touched the ball on offense in that game. We didn’t know Allentown and they had been playing well. It was a good game for us. I was impressed with the way the girls played.”

While Bowman had initially expected a better record, he acknowledged that his short-handed team came close to reaching its potential.

“I was hoping for .600 but we did a lot with what we had,” said Bowman. “It was good to finish over .500. We just needed to be more consistent.”

Stuart got a consistently good effort from standout Lewis, who averaged 19.5 points a game with five assists and five steals.

“I am happy with her; she led us in scoring and assists every year of her career,” said Bowman. “She made people around her better. She led us by playing hard.”

Senior center Sarah Schulte was a leader for the Tartans as well scoring 8.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game.

“This was by far her best year,” asserted Bowman of the 6’0 Schulte, who also stars in field hockey and lacrosse.

“The last two years she was very good on defense. Just by her presence, people had to change their shots or pass. Every time she had a double-double this year, we won.”

The team’s younger players are redoubling their efforts to improve after getting to play a bigger role this winter.

“None of them are happy with the season, several came up to me and said ‘coach, I can do better,’ ” said Bowman, whose returning players include sophomores Paris Branker, Angela Gallagher, and Jenn Dias together with freshmen Kate O’Brian, and freshman Summer Ramsay-Burrough.

“That is great for a coach to hear. The younger kids are more dedicated. They want to get better and stronger. They want to be more involved in the game earlier in the summer.”

The return of junior Smarr and classmate Bowman to full strength should give the Tartans even more game going forward.

“Since Jas came back, we had more balance,” added Bowman. “In her eight games, she had double figures six times. She wasn’t as strong as she could’ve been after being out so long but she was driving to the basket and taking her shots. Having Amber back will help. She is the kind of player who is going to dive for the ball. She is going to be hungrier to play and more aggressive.”

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