Peddie Varsity Basketball Teams Place Fourth in MAPL

Emily Guo'18, Staff Writer

Both the girls and boys varsity basketball teams participated in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Tournament this past weekend. The tournament involved fellow MAPL schools Blair Academy, the Lawrenceville School, the Hill School, the Hun School and Mercersburg Academy.

On Friday, Feb. 12, the boys basketball team lost a close game to Hun, 57-54. Although the Peddie team had beaten Hun earlier in the season, Hun was much more prepared this time around. The two teams were neck and neck throughout the entire game and all the players chipped in – Terrell Prince ’18 put up 10 points, Jeremiah Ferguson ’16 scored 12 points, Dan Largey ’16 added 13 and Tyler Jones ’17 ended with 14 points – despite the players’ great efforts, it was not enough.

“They were hitting the floor and getting to the free throw line,” Jones said about their opponents. “We ended up falling short as we were scrambling around trying to find a three that was needed at the buzzer to tie the game and force an overtime.”

The next day, the boys varsity basketball team cruised to a 65-57 victory against Mercersburg. Ferguson ’16 ended the game with 22 points, Largey ’16 had a game high 23 points, and Jones ’17 contributed double-digits as well. After losing to Hun the day before, the Falcons were determined to rebound from their defeat.

“We wanted to use the Mercersburg game as a bounce back as we’d just lost to Hun and were soon set to face off against Blair in the state tournament,” Jones said. “We let Mercersburg hang in the game and ended up winning 65-57.”

The girls’ side of the tournament was filled with ups and downs as well. In their Friday game against Hill, the girls varsity basketball team won decisively 53-29. Hill came out with high intensity but the Falcons were able to match it, holding the lead throughout the entirety of the game. Everyone contributed to the team’s success including Natalie Stralkus ’18 who hit 5 three-pointers and ended the game with 22 points.

“We started out really focused and played with a high level of intensity,” coach Sarah Venanzi said. “The girls did a good job pressuring [Hill’s] guards and that really disrupted their offense. Our offense did a really good job on sharing the basketball, looking and attacking them at the post.”

Kathleen Hill ’16 echoed Crider’s account.

“I think the Hill game went exactly how we planned,” Hill said. “We hoped to win that game and we executed the game plan as coach drew up, so we were happy.”

The girls’ Saturday game, however, did not go the way they wanted. Blair was hot from the beginning and the Falcons weren’t able to come back. Peddie lost 74-39. Although the Falcons lost by a substantial amount, the girls are hoping for a chance at redemption.

“They are a very talented team and it was a tough game,” Hill said, “but hopefully we will have another shot at them Saturday for the state finals.”

Peddie ultimately placed fourth in the MAPL Tournament on the boys’ and girls’ ends.

However, neither team was able to redeem themselves in the state tournament. Both teams have just recently ended their season at the NJISAA Semi-Finals. On Thursday, boys varsity lost 67-57 in an away game against Blair Academy. That same day, the girls varsity  team played an away game against the Lawrenceville School and lost 58-50.