By, Nolan R. Buser
February 7, 2023
HIGHTSTOWN, NJ. – With the Hightstown Cup on the line, it was 3-point shooting that proved to be the difference, as Peddie took home the trophy with an 83-56 win over rival Hightstown.
Peddie’s junior wing, Zack Davis, shot lights out, making 6 threes and finishing the game with a team high 24 points.
“He is not a big thinker when he plays, he just lets it come to him,” said Peddie head coach Joe Rulewich. “He is such a great shooter and he’s been shooting really well down the stretch of the season.”
His absence has been felt as he has been sidelined due to injury in recent games, but, “being back under the pressure of having to make shots is something he was looking forward to,” said Rulewich.
Davis was far from the only Falcon to find a rhythm from 3-point-range, as the team amounted 15 made threes in Tuesday night’s game.
This compared to the unimpressive zero made threes for Hightstown, who struggled to produce offense from the opening tip.
“Both teams handled the energy good early, but we made more baskets early and put them on their heels a little bit,” said Rulewich.
The 25-point night from Hightstown center Andrew McDade was not enough to close the gap with Peddie. Too little, too late.
With the win Peddie jumps to (10-13) and will be in action next for MAPL Tournament play, beginning Friday February 10.
The loss or Hightstown is their 8th consecutive, leaving them with a now (9-14) record on the year. They will hope to put an end to their dreadful run on February 9, at home against Northern Burlington (4-17).
The Hightstown Cup now sits within the halls of The Peddie School, and will be put back on the line this time next season when these two cross town rivals square off yet again.
“It is a great community thing for both schools, there is an emotional element to playing against people you know,” said Rulewich. “We fed off of that emotion here tonight.”
