PASSING IT ON: Stuart Country Day School basketball player Carmela Arana looks to pass the ball in recent action. Last Thursday, sophomore guard Arana scored 14 points and dished for a season-high 14 assists as fifth-seeded Stuart defeated 12th-seeded Noor-ul-iman 80-22 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public B Tournament. On Monday, Arana scored 17 points with three assists and four steals as Stuart edged fourth-seeded Holy Spirit in a quarterfinal contest. The Tartans, now 15-9, play at top-seeded Rutgers Prep in the semifinal round on March 5. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III
By Bill Alden
Although the Stuart Country Day School basketball team brought a three-game losing streak into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public B Tournament, Tony Bowman believed his squad was ready to make a run.
“I think the three games that we played prior helped prepare us but it also gave me time to get my full roster back,” said Stuart head coach Bowman, whose team lost to Hun, Pingry, and Allentown as it wrapped up regular season play. “This week is the first time I have had the top eight players, except for one. It was a good time to start states, we are coming together.”
Hosting 12th-seeded Noor-ul-iman last Thursday in the first round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public B Tournament, the fifth-seeded Tartans were at full throttle as they jumped out to a 52-11 halftime lead on the way to an 80-22 win.
Sophomore guard Carmela Arana triggered the offense in the victory as she scored 14 points and dished for a season-high 14 assists
“We know she can score, everybody knows she can score, we wanted her to be able to facilitate the basketball a lot better,” said Bowman of Arana. “We told her the points will always come because you are a scorer but to facilitate and get the whole team involved is so much better for us as a team. She did that for us. Carmela found everybody inside.”
Senior star Taylor States benefitted from Arana’s passing as she tallied a season-high 27 points with six rebounds against Noor.
“It was all inside work — driving and cutting,” said Bowman. “Taylor did a nice job.”
Even though Stuart jumped out to a large lead, its players stuck to the game plan.
“Sometimes when you are winning at a high margin, you get lax and you don’t run the offense but they maintained that,” said Bowman.
“By maintaining their ability to run the offense, I was able to put other people in and everybody had a good time. When we are at home, we are supposed to win in a certain way and we are supposed to play a certain way. Discipline is No. 1 and defense is No. 2 and they did that very, very well. They were very disciplined and they played good defense.”
Bowman credited his veterans with setting that tone. “I was very pleased with my starters and my seniors,” said Bowman. “They have showed a lot of leadership this year, especially in that game. Everybody shared the basketball which is huge for us.”
Heading into a quarterfinal clash at fourth-seeded Holy Spirit, Bowman was looking for his players to focus on their game rather than the opponent.
“When you have a disciplined team and everybody is listening and they are all on the same page, it doesn’t matter who you play,” said Bowman. “It is when you get undisciplined, that it is when it matters who you play.”
The Tartans displayed that discipline as they edged Holy Spirit 43-41 with Arana scoring 17 points and sophomore guard Lia States contributing 13 points and nine rebounds.
Bowman sensed that his squad would be up for the challenges presented by the Spartans.
“When we go down there, they are going to be scrappy and we are going to take a couple of punches,” said Bowman, whose team improved to 15-9 and will play at top-seeded Rutgers Prep in the semifinal round on March 5. “They have two outside shooters and do most of their main scoring from outside with deep threes. They move the ball very well. A disciplined team can take the punches, an undisciplined team can’t. I believe that and I teach this to the kids all of the time. The only team that beats us is us. If you play strong defense and from that defense you create an offense, you should do well.”