Warriors enter state playoffs confident
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PLUMSTED — If last week’s matchup against Henry Hudson High School is any indication of what’s in store for the New Egypt boys basketball team during the state playoffs, the Warriors will be in good shape when they make their first-ever appearance NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I event later this month.

New Egypt made a few defensive adjustments in the second half and rolled to a resounding 49-36 nondivisional victory over Henry Hudson.

“They shot extremely well from the perimeter in the first half,” Corby said. “At halftime we made a few adjustments in an attempt to slow them down a bit, and they worked. We played real solid defense in the third and fourth quarters.”

The meeting between the two schools gave Corby a chance to scout his opponent for the state tournament. The Warriors are scheduled to host Henry Hudson Feb. 28 in the opening round of the state tournament.

“It’s good to have seen what they have,” Corby said. “Even though we have beaten them, we still need to come out and take care of business. We can’t afford to have a lapse in intensity as the state tournament approaches. This is a big event for this program.”

Hosting a home game in the opening round hopefully lends an advantage for the Warriors.

“I think in high school sports especially, playing at home gives you an edge,” Corby said. “Our guys love playing in front of the fans that have been supporting them all season long. It’s going to be an exciting and fun atmosphere. We’re all looking forward to it.”

If New Egypt were to get past Henry Hudson, the Warriors would take on No. 2 Piscataway Tech. Corby, however, is concentrating on playing one game at a time.

“We’re in no such position to look ahead,” he said. “We’re going into the first game sticking with the things that have gotten us to this point. If we rebound and play defense, we’re going to put ourselves in a position to win the game at the end.”

In the win over Henry Hudson, New Egypt used a balanced scoring attack. Tom Partyka, the team’s leading scorer, led the Warriors with 10 points. Donny Bunce, Ricky Mackesy, Josh Howard and Jeff Janowski all chipped in with eight points apiece.

“It’s nice when we can balance the scoring out like we did in this game,” Corby said. “It takes the pressure off Partyka to put up big numbers game after game.”

The New Egypt defense shut down Henry Hudson in the third quarter. The Warriors outscored Henry Hudson 15-1 in the eight-minute period.

“That was the turning point right there,” Corby said. “We stopped their point guard from penetrating and dishing back out to the wing. Once we took that away, their offense struggled. It was a simple change that made a huge difference.”

In a 56-52 win over Medford Tech, Howard made a couple of big plays in the final minute to seal the victory. Howard put back a missed free throw with a minute left to extend the Warriors’ lead to five. Thirty seconds later, he stole an inbound pass and sank a free throw to nail down New Egypt’s 14th win of the season.

“He really stepped up in that final minute,” Corby said. “We have different guys making big plays game after game. Right now we’re playing solid basketball. We still have a couple of regular season games left before the state tournament. We’ll keep getting after teams and hopefully take some momentum into the playoffs.”