FINAL SALVO: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Leah Bornstein, right, gets ready to unload the ball in a recent action. Last Thursday, senior star Bornstein tallied six goals and two assists with six ground balls and eight draw controls to help eighth-seeded PHS edge ninth-seeded Whippany Park 15-13 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 sectional. The Tigers went on to fall 17-6 to top-seeded Chatham in the sectional quarterfinal on Monday to end the spring with a 14-7 record. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

It was Leah Bornstein’s final home game for the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team as it hosted Whippany Park/Hanover Park last Thursday in its state tournament opener and she got some advice from her parents beforehand.

“My dad, my mom, they were like you have to give it all you have defense, offense,” said Bornstein. “I was just giving it my all like I always try to do.”

Eighth-seeded PHS realized it needed to give its all as it took on ninth-seeded Whippany Park in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3

sectional.

“We knew it would be a close matchup,” said

Bornstein. “We didn’t really know anything about them coming in. It could be our last game and we are playing every game like it is

our last.”

The matchup turned out to be a game of runs as PHS took a 3-1 lead, but Whippany responded with a 3-0 run to forge ahead 4-3. The Tigers ended the half with a 5-1 burst to take an 8-5 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Whippany started with a 4-1 run to narrow the PHS advantage to 9-8. The Tigers outscored the Wildcats 5-1 over the rest of the quarter to go up 14-9. Holding off a Whippany rally down the stretch, PHS hung on for a 15-13 victory.

“It was really back and forth, we knew we could do it,” said Bornstein. “They were pretty feisty on the draw. We battled back and overall we were the better team.”

Bornstein was her feisty self in the win, tallying six goals and two assists with six ground balls and eight draw controls, achieving a milestone along the way as she hit the 200-goal mark in her career.

“Freshman year, I would have never imagined that,” said Bornstein. “I was not even starting and here I am getting a milestone like this. It is really exciting.”

In reflecting on her progress over the years,

Bornstein cited her self-assurance on the field.

“It is probably just believing in myself,” said

Bornstein, who is headed to Catholic University where she will be playing for its women’s lacrosse team. “Whenever I step on the field I tell myself that I belong here as much as the other team does. It is just confidence in myself.”

While PHS went on to fall 17-6 to top-seeded Chatham last Monday in the quarterfinal round of the sectional to end the spring at 14-7,

Bornstein was thrilled to prevail in her final home game as the Tigers advanced in states.

“It my first time have a state game at home so that was really exciting,” said Bornstein, who scored three goals in the loss to Chatham to end her career with 295 points on 206 goals and 89 assists. “We fell short in the CVC tournament, we were a little disappointed with that. This is our chance to make a run. This is a great year for us.”

PHS head coach Kait Birnbohm-Kaminski credited her senior group with having a great impact on the program.

“Our senior group has always just wanted to extend things this season,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “I spoke to them about it in our huddles, this is something that you have accomplished. You have created an environment where we can play at home. It is the first state home game in their career and they have done it as seniors. They got to win at home which is really special.”

While Birnbohm-Kaminski acknowledged that getting the win was a bit of a struggle, she always felt that the Tigers were going to come through.

“Lacrosse is a game of momentum,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski.

“There were a lot of runs. It was all runs, I think. I never feel concerned coaching this team. I did, though,

realize that we had to emphasize having possession and taking care of it. There were some specific offensive adjustments that we made but mostly it was affirming the level of play they know they are capable of playing.”

As usual, the PHS seniors played at a high level. In addition to Bornstein’s output, Quinn Gallagher tallied three goals and three assists with Gracie DePrince chipping in two goals and one assist, Nicki Lee scoring one goal, and star defender Zoie Reynolds scooping up five ground balls.

“I am proud of them, all of our seniors stepped up,” said Birnbohm-Kaminski. “Leah was all over the place. Her hustle and her effort is just a truly huge presence and the team. You can always count on her consistency at all of the spots of the field. Nicki stepped up too today, she did well. It was perfect to see Zoie get that ball at the end.”

For Bornstein, meshing on the field with her classmates over the last four years has been a highlight of her

career.

“We have been playing for a while, especially Quinn, Zoie, Nicki Gracie and me,” said Bornstein. “We have been on the club team so we have this chemistry on the field and we work really well together. Quinn and I read each other’s minds at times.”