Hightstown Boys Basketball 7-4 in Summer League

While the official start of the Hightstown High School boys basketball team's 2011-12 season is still about four months away, Coach Don Hess got a little glimpse into the future.

Hess liked what he saw.

Hightstown recently finished up playing in the CVC Summer Basketball League with a record of 7-4. All of the games were held at either West Windsor South or Allentown High School.

"The kids were really starting to come together as a team," Hess noted. "We started off 1-2 and finished at 7-4. It's really important for these guys to take advantage of the chance to play together and get comfortable with each other out on the court."

Hightstown managed wins against Florence (42-38), Peddie (33-8), Allentown (33-27), New Egypt (37-33 and 44-42), Bordentown (45-30) and Westampton Tech (40-34).

The win against Westamton Tech avenged one of Hightstown's four losses, a 42-36 setback. South Brunswick defeated Hightstown twice -- 45-31 and 53-40. Delran also defeated Hightstown, 39-32.

"I thought we got a lot accomplished," Hess said. "We have a good nucleus of kids coming back. We'll have a lot of seniors playing for us this year. I think they'll all contribute."

According to Hess, one of the few downsides to the team is the fact it is literally down on size. Hess hopes to make up for the lack of height on the team with hustle and great defense.

"The kids took a lot of charges," Hess said. "They played very good defense. If that carries over to the winter season, we'll be a very good basketball team."

The individuals that played in the summer league included Taylor Chappell, Trey Brown, Ryan Borden, Fred Fitch, Cole Fusik, D. Harper, C. Harper, Tyler Klose, Ryan McCahny, Chad Preston, Duane Spearman, R. Reddington and Dylan Scott.

Matt Durstewitz helped Hess with the coaching in the summer league.

"I'd really like to thank (Durstewitz)," Hess said. "He was there every night and was really dedicated to coaching the kids."

Hess was also appreciative of the players making the commitment to take part in the summer league.

"Good to see the kids involved in this summer league," Hess said. "It's an excellent league that is well run and officiated."

Hess was also hoping his team would take part in the Summer Primetime Shootout.

"This is the first time we haven't done the Primetime Shootout in a long time," Hess said. "Economics are just tough for a lot of people right now.

"It was a good summer. We learned a lot about this team. These guys can play."