Princeton (7-1, 5-1 GMC) won its sixth straight and swept the regular-season series from Hamilton (6-5, 2-4), which fell to the Vikings for the fourth consecutive time. Hamilton lost in overtime 56-55 at Princeton on Dec. 9.
Both teams were playing their first game in at least 10 days, and bits of rust showed early before Princeton steadied itself late.
The Vikings carried a 39-31 lead into the fourth quarter — their largest lead of the night — then answered each Hamilton push with a response.
Hamilton closed within striking distance behind Jordon Johnson-Perdomo, who scored 14 points, and Jordan Bryant, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for nine points.
The Big Blue cut the margin to four in the final minutes, but missed chances and Princeton’s execution down the stretch proved decisive.
A’Mire Gill finished with a game-high 20 points, while Jordan Johnson added 10 points and five assists. Amir Phillips chipped in nine points and nine rebounds as Princeton controlled the glass when it mattered, collecting 10 offensive rebounds and out-rebounding Hamilton 29-19.
“Every time they needed to make a play, they did,” Hamilton coach Jake Turner said. “Every time we needed to, it didn’t feel like we did.”
Turner pointed to focus and physicality after the holiday break layoff as key issues.
“We worked on a lot over the last nine or 10 days, and some guys didn’t have a clue what we were doing,” Turner said. “That’s on us and a lack of focus. We’ve got to get locked in a little more.”
Princeton’s ability to extend possessions loomed large.
“We’re not making enough winning plays — 50-50 balls, boxing out,” Turner said. “If you stand in front of somebody, that’s not a box out. You’ve got to drive somebody back. We didn’t do that well enough.”
The Vikings, who have navigated injuries and lineup changes most of the season, were happy to escape a difficult venue.
“Winning here has been very, very hard,” Princeton coach Bryan Wyant said. “We’re ecstatic to get out of here with a win.”
Wyant credited his team’s resilience during a season that has featured multiple injuries and limited practice numbers.
That includes only having sophomore phenom and one of the nation’s top prospects, Kam Mercer, for just one game. Mercer sustained a shoulder injury at Lakota East on Dec. 16 just after he enrolled to Princeton following his withdraw from Atlanta-based Overtime Elite.
Wyant said there’s a possibility Mercer could be back in the lineup by the end of this month.
“It’s been wild,” Wyant said. “But to be 7-1 right now with everything we’ve dealt with — different starting lineups, guys missing time — I’m proud of how they’ve competed.”
Hamilton took a 15-12 lead into the second quarter and kept fighting after falling behind, trimming what could have been a runaway deficit.
“I’m glad we didn’t quit,” Turner said. “It could have gotten away from us, but we kept battling and had opportunities.”
Hamilton turns the page to a busy week ahead — home against Colerain on Tuesday, at Sycamore on Friday and back home versus Beavercreek on Saturday.
“We’ve got to learn from it fast and bounce back,” Turner said. “We can’t let this turn into three straight losses.”
About the Author