January 28, 2015

Doomed by Poor Start in Loss to Bound Brook, PDS Girls’ Hoops Still Confident of Big Finish

VALUABLE COYNE: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Maddie Coyne dribbles the ball in recent action. Last Friday, freshman Coyne scored four points in a losing cause as PDS fell 56-24 to Bound Brook. The Panthers, now 4-10, play at the Ranney School on January 29 before hosting Rutgers Prep on January 30 and Pennington on February 3.(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

VALUABLE COYNE: Princeton Day School girls’ basketball player Maddie Coyne dribbles the ball in recent action. Last Friday, freshman Coyne scored four points in a losing cause as PDS fell 56-24 to Bound Brook. The Panthers, now 4-10, play at the Ranney School on January 29 before hosting Rutgers Prep on January 30 and Pennington on February 3. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Ending its game against visiting Bound Brook last Friday on a high note, the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team outscored the Crusaders 9-6 in the fourth quarter.

But that surge was too little, too late for the Panthers as they lost 56-24 in dropping to 4-10.

In reflecting on the setback, PDS head coach Kamau Bailey was pleased with how his players battled to the final whistle.

“I am proud of the way we played, we played hard until the end,” said Bailey. “We just have to figure out all the stuff in between.”

The Panthers need to figure out how to start games better as they fell behind Bound Brook 15-0.

“It was tough to come back from that; we just got off to a rough start,” said Bailey.

“We are one of those teams that needs to get out to a good start. We are not a comeback team just yet; we are still working on that. Before the game, the girls admitted that they were nervous so it’s just really getting our nerves under control and relaxing. By the time everybody relaxed a little bit and realized that we could score on that team, it was 15-8.”

In Bailey’s view, everybody needs to get on the same page for the Panthers to be more consistent offensively.

“We have just got to bring it all together,” said Bailey, who got eight points from freshman Bridget Kane in the defeat to Bound Brook with sophomore Shayla Stevenson adding seven. “We are, in my opinion, doing a little bit too much one-on-one. We need to move the ball a little bit more. The girls need to have a little bit more confidence in their teammates and their ability to score.”

With PDS having topped Stuart 40-30 on January 14 and Villa Victoria 53-33 on January 16 in its two games prior to Friday, Bailey is confident that his team can get things together.

“Things are going in the right direction; these girls are getting better,” asserted Bailey, whose team plays at the Ranney School on January 29 before hosting Rutgers Prep on January 30 and Pennington on February 3.

“Beating Stuart was a nice measurement; they had beaten us three times prior (once earlier this season and twice last winter). To be able to beat a team like that, let’s these girls know and me as a coach know that we have made some progress. We have to continue to do that. These girls look so good in practice. We just have to translate the way we practice onto the game floor.”