Bulldog News
Athletics Update: Varsity Basketball
Monday, February 08, 2010
February 2 at St. Johns School
The Tuesday, February 2, match versus St. Johns in Shrewsbury was a rematch of the Hillside Holiday Tournament championship. This day did not go as easily as the first. The Bulldogs were challenged by an opponent with a storied basketball history. The St. Johns Pioneers were ready to play and gave the team all it could handle. Playing with a shot clock and on a big floor, the Hillside boys struggled to put together flow or rhythm and led only by 3 at the half.
The start of the second half saw a well-coached and determined Pioneer team take the lead, a very unfamiliar position for the Bulldogs. After a spirited timeout, the team went out and executed our press flawlessly. Earning steals and turnovers, the Bulldogs regained control of the game leading by 8 points at the end of the third quarter. As our team still struggled to find its rhythm, St. Johns kept coming and forced the Bulldogs to dig deep to earn the win. Jean Toussaint 10 had a monster game in the paint with 11 boards, six blocks and four big assists. Idris Taqqee 11 was also big with 11 boards, four steals and four assists. Johnnie Vassar 10 led the scoring charge as it seemed every time we needed a basket, he delivered with points or an assist. He finished with 26 points, nine boards and five assists. Kenan Williams 10 contributed big when the opposing defense tried to chase down Johnnie Vassar 10. He hit the open shot made his free throws, and finished with 17 points. Mikol Blake-Green 10 did his part with 10 points five boards and three blocks.
January 29 at Belmont School
The Bulldog varsity basketball team has been playing well and continues to show improvement in the finer points of the game. On January 29, the team traveled to Belmont Hill School (BHS). Even with a win against BHS last year, the team needed to be highly competitive and focused. Message heard and mission accomplished. Hillside won in all facets of the game and came away with a solid team victory of 68-42. Johnnie Vassar 10, Idris Taqqee 11 and Kenan Williams 10 led the scoring while Jean Toussaint 10 and Mikol Blake-Green 10 proved themselves on defense. All eligible players saw action.
January 27 versus Fay
The Varsity Basketball team continued to roll. The January 27 rematch with Fay proved to be another barnburner with Hillside topping the century mark yet again with a score of 102-84. This time, the team had an outstanding first half, scoring 56 points. Lights out shooting by Kenan Williams 10 (30 points) led the way for Hillside. Scoring was again a team effort with Johnnie Vassar 10 hitting for 18 points and 9 assists. Idris Taqqee 11 scored 16 points. Mikol Blake Green 10 and Isaiah Seetram 11 both hit for 10 points. Jean Toussaint 10 had six points plus three blocks and 10 boards. Dawson Stento 10 saw good minutes and hustled every one of them. Kam Bangash 10, Justin Wickman 10 and Adolph Kawuba 10 all got points in the book. We give high praise to the Fay cagers who never stopped playing throughout the game.
January 25 at Marianapolis Prep
On January 25, the Bulldogs traveled to Marianapolis Prep to take on their Junior Varsity team. The team got off to a slow start with Hillside up 23-13 at the break. Fortunately, the Bulldogs took control in the early part of the second half. As a team, the players had 17 steals and only 5 turnovers which allowed everyone to contribute to the win. Johnnie Vassar 10 led all scorers with 18 points, followed by Idris Taqqee 11 with 14 points and Kenan Williams 10 with 11 points. Jean Toussaint 10 was big on the boards again while Adolph Kawuba 10 and Isaiah Seetram 11 kept the game under control.
January 20 versus St. Marks
The Bulldogs hosted the freshman from St. Marks School on January 20. Hillside ran out to a big lead early in the game. Jean Toussaint 10 had his best game of the season with 12 points and 13 boards in limited time. Dawson Stento 10 hustled and played solid minutes, as did Justin Wickman 10 and Kam Bangash 10. Adolph Kawuba 10 gained valuable experience at the point and chipped in five points. In all, eight of the eleven players scored in this total team effort victory.
Jean Toussaint '10 goes for the basket against St. Mark's on January 20.
Justin Wickman '10 (left) looks for a clean pass against St. Mark's School on January 20. Also pictured (left, background) is Isaiah Seetram '11.
