By Mike Warren
Mercer County High School basketball coverage on WBCB began with one of Hamilton Townships most storied rivalries, between the Nottingham Northstars and host Steinert Spartans. In what began as a slow-paced game, quickly became a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the contest.
With many questions circling around the overall identity of the new-look Nottingham squad, it was the Hamilton transfer Chris Dormevil who provided many of the answers in the season opener. The junior combo guard shined brightest on the floor with 15 first-half points and a handful of baskets to extend or re-gain the lead. Dormevil took home Italian People’s Bakery player of the game honors in the winning effort.
It wasn’t all Nottingham in this one however, as Steinert saw multiple leads in their favor in both halves with their largest lead of the game at six. The Spartans relied heavily on senior guard Anthony Santucci who led the team with nine points, all coming from behind the arc. Another key contributor for the Spartans was senior Mason Grant, who returned to the team after taking last season off. Grant was a monster in the paint and on the glass, compiling four blocked shots to go along with a handful of offensive boards.
Ultimately it was Chris Raba’s patented “defense first” philosophy that sealed the deal for Nottingham on the road. Full court pressure applied from their guards resulted in a plethora of live-ball scoring down the stretch. Making a big impact in his varsity debut was junior forward Liam Cox, finishing with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Nottingham saw their lead grow to as many as 13 before winning by a final of 46-35.
The Northstars improve to 1-0 on the season and will see Robbinsville next on their schedule on Tuesday, December 17th at 5:30. For Steinert, they fall to 0-1 to begin the year and travel to take on Lawrence on Tuesday at 7:00 (seen on WBCB Sports).
