New Egypt boys in midst of an important stretch
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff New Egypt's Ricky Mackesy shoots over Allentown's Chris Katzman during Saturday's Warrior win in Allentown.

PLUMSTED - With an overall record of 7-5, New Egypt High School boys basketball coach Jay Corby feels this week will determine a lot about the character of this year's team.

The Warriors square off at home against both Palmyra and Riverside. New Egypt needs to pull off a pair of wins to make a statement in the Freedom Division and to spark the Warriors as they enter the second part of its schedule.

"These are both winnable games," Corby said. "This week is going to say a lot about where we stand as a team. We are going to have to play very well to beat both teams, but I feel we can do it. There are times when we are playing extremely well at both ends of the floor. Then there are other times when we are making foolish mistakes and turning the ball over way too much. We need to be a much more consistent basketball team at the offensive end."

Last week, New Egypt finished 2-1, notching wins over Allentown and Moorestown Friends. Wedged in between the two victories was a three-point loss to Highland Park, a game which Corby feels the Warriors would have won if not for an obscene number of turnovers.

"We were hoping to sweep for the week," Corby said. "We looked very good in the Allentown game. We played at both ends of the floor for the full 32 minutes. We need to play with that kind of focus and intensity for the duration of the season."

Josh Howard paced the Warriors with a 22-point, nine-rebound effort as New Egypt rolled to a resounding 58-42 win over Allentown.

Sophomore Kevin Janowski contributed 10 points and 10 boards, while Ricky Mackesy added 11 points and three assists.

Corby felt the Warriors' dominance on the blocks was the difference.

"They just could not handle us down low," Corby said. "Both Janowski and Howard controlled the paint. We more or less scored at will once we got the ball in their hands down low. We're most effective when we work the ball inside."

Allentown made a bit of a run in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 10 points. New Egypt, however, tightened its defense and the Warriors were able to take a comfortable lead into the final eight minutes.

In a 41-37 loss to Highland Park, the Warriors were guilty of making 24 turnovers.

"It's tough to beat anybody when you mishandle the ball the way we did in that game," Corby said. "Defensively we played very well. We rebounded the ball and limited them to one shot, but we just struggled once we had the ball."

Howard, Janowski and Dakota Havens each scored in double digits as New Egypt hammered Moorestown Friends, 65-50.

"Again we dominated down low in that game," Corby said. "We did a much better job of handling the ball and the pressure they put on us. We had one shaky quarter, but then we settled down nicely."