BOYS' BASKETBALL: Minutemen enjoying turnaround
Recent history suggests the Washington Township High School boys’ basketball team would be in close games and not necessarily come out of losses feeling all that bad.
“We’d be in a game and that would be a good feeling,” coach Matt Kiser said.
Not anymore.
Anything less than a ‘W’ and the feeling is far from good.
No moral victories. No coming close. No excuses.
“When we’re in those close games, we expect to win,” Kiser said about his current team. “We feel pretty confident we can play with anybody. When we lose, it really hurts.
“I can look down the bench and there are a lot of guys who can step in and play well. In the past, I’d look down and we were thin. There were situations last year where we were in close games and maybe we lost them. This year we’ve been in some close games but there’s never been any panic. Our guys are pretty calm and everyone is steady.”
For the first time in recent memory, the Minutemen have earned the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs. At 17-3 overall, they’re also in the hunt for an Olympic American title with a senior-dominated team that has secured the first winning season since 2010.
“We’re definitely confident and excited to be where we are,” senior guard Spencer Cook said. “We’re still taking it one game at a time and working as hard as possible.
“It’s special to be in the position we are right now.”
Varsity Boys Basketball: Winslow at Washington Township
In his sixth year, Kiser has never coached his team in a home playoff game. The Minutemen, No. 4 in the Courier-Post Mean 15, will host Egg Harbor Township in an opening-round game.
“Our goal at the start of the season was to win our division, win every home game and let the playoff seeds fall where they may,” Kiser said. “To end up as the No. 1 seed in South Jersey Group 4 is big for our program.
“We felt we could beat any team in Group 4 in South Jersey, and we did that. We played well and feel like we earned it.”
While Cook and Justin Ortiz have led the Minutemen in scoring, they’re also getting solid production from an experienced supporting cast. Seniors like Najee Wilson, Nick McGough, Mekhi Greene, Mike Simmons and AJ Michaels have paid their dues.
“It’s the unselfishness,” Kiser said. “We have a lot of role players that don’t get a lot of publicity, but on any given night any other guy can step up and play well.”
In addition to its unselfish play, Washington Township has maintained its consistency. The Minutemen haven’t lost two in a row, and their three losses are by a combined 14 points.
* No. 7 Eastern, the third seed in South Jersey Group 4, by eight points. It snapped a 7-0 start.
* No. 3 Timber Creek by four, halting another seven-game streak against a team that’s earned the top seed in South Jersey Group 3.
* No. 6 Camden, a two-point setback to the top seed in South Jersey Group 2.
"The last two losses were both tough games where we battled to the end,” Cook said. “They will definitely help down the road in the playoffs.
“We’ve been playing together for years, some going back to fourth grade. We’re definitely close on and off the court, and we’re enjoying the ride. Those late-game experiences are going to help us.”
For now, Kiser says his team is focused on its next opponent – Williamstown on Friday. After that, it’s just the next team on the schedule, although the Minutemen are thrilled that everything seems to have come together.
“It’s human nature to look ahead,” Kiser said. “Being No. 1, we know who we’ll play, this and that. But the focus is really on the next game. Our guys have bought into that and it’s helped keep our focus.”
Kevin Minnick; (856) 486-2424; kminnick@gannettnj.com