Preston takes over as Bulldogs go to 5-2
Metuchen defeats Highland Park, 68-64, faces McCarrick next
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer
The Metuchen High School boys basketball team knew it would be tested in last week's matchup against division rival Highland Park. Without the services of leading scorer Dejuan Miller, Metuchen had to dig deep in order to get the job done in a crucial division contest. Miller, the Oklahoma University bound football star, was in Orlando showcasing his talents among the country's finest high school seniors.

"We knew we'd be fine without Miller because we've played a lot without him," Metuchen head coach Rich Stoner said. "Dejuan missed all of our preseason scrimmages and wasn't with the team during summer league play, so we knew it was possible to win without him. The key was for our guys to have the confidence to win without Dejuan."

In Miller's absence, Cody Preston took charge of scoring duties and poured in 16 of his team-high 18 in the second quarter to pace the Bulldogs to a 68-64 win over the Owls.

"Cody got into some early foul trouble, but came on really strong in the third and fourth quarters," Stoner said. "He scored a lot of his points by taking the ball strong to the basket instead of relying on his outside shot. This is something we've been working on and he's realized that he can beat people off the dribble to get some easy buckets."

Preston's second half helped erase a seven-point deficit the Bulldogs faced heading into the locker room at halftime. Highland Park jumped ahead early with an 18-9 run in the first quarter.

"At halftime, I took freshman Elijah Sellers aside and let him know it was his time to step up," Stoner said. "He's such a good kid that he has a tendency to defer to his elders on the court. I told him he's been starting all seven games and that he was no longer a freshman and that I wanted to see him elevate his game. He came through for us in a big way in the second half."

With Sellers finishing with 12 points and teammate Nick Callas adding nine, the Bulldogs overcame their halftime deficit to improve to 5-2 on the season.

"Nick is another player that has been too hesitant at times," Stoner said. "During summer leagues, he was consistently one of the best players on the floor and he needed to step up in Dejuan's absence. He did just that."

The Bulldogs will welcomeMiller back to the floor when they do battle against Cardinal McCarrick in a much-anticipated GMC Blue Division showdown at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

During Miller's last time on the floor, he led the Bulldogs to a win at the Roselle Park Holiday Tournament. The tournament's Most Valuable Player, Miller scored 29 points against Secaucus in the title game in which he also scored his 1,000th career point.