Boys Basketball: Watchung Hills seniors take charge over Pingry during 2nd half

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

Senior leadership tends to rise to the fore in elimination games, and that's what buoyed the Watchung Hills High School boys basketball team over Pingry 52-34 in Monday's Somerset County Tournament second-round contest.

Senior guard Evan Mluzan scored 16 points and senior forward Scott Deal added 12 as the ninth-seeded Warriors (7-13) turned a 21-19 halftime deficit into a runaway.

"The seniors did not want to go down," Watchung Hills coach Justin Salton said. "They did not want to end their last Somerset County Tournament here. You could see they picked up their intensity in the second half."

Junior forward Scott Sowinski paced eighth-seeded Pingry (8-9) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore wing Dan Keller added seven points and eight rebounds.

It was an even game for two quarters, and then Mluzan took charge. He opened the third period with a 3-pointer from the right corner, then drained a 17-footer from the left corner off of a turnover.

After a Sowinski bucket, Mluzan found himself unguarded at the top of the key and swished a 3-pointer.

"Evan came out on fire," Salton said. "When he gets hot, he's one of the best shooters around."

A steal and layup by senior guard Nick Argiro capped the 12-4 quarter for Watchung Hills, which exacted revenge for a 44-41 loss Jan. 13 at Pingry. The absence of senior forward Chris Brennan (eight points) hurt Watchung Hills in that game, as did a fourth-quarter technical foul. This time the Warriors' swarming press wore down Pingry's ball handlers as the game went along.

Next up is a quarterfinal trip to top-seeded Hillsborough next Saturday. The Raiders beat Watchung Hills twice this season: 44-31 at home on opening night and 59-56 on the road Jan. 26.

"We're happy we're advancing, but we're going to go fighting," Salton said. "They're a great team, they have a lot of size, and we traditionally have not played very well down at Hillsborough. Our seniors have never won there. We have to play our "A' game to compete with them."