Shooters shoot, and the Scotch Plains-Fanwood shooters couldn’t miss the net Thursday night at home as the Raiders defeated Roselle Park 80-40 to extend their unbeaten season and win streak to six wins. The offensive outburst started the first minute of the game, allowing the Raiders to lead the entire contest against the Panthers.
“I think (our team) just played with confidence tonight,” said SPFHS head coach Steve Siracusa. “They were confident in their shots.”
Senior Teddy Willmott was the first player of the night to showcase that self-assured shooter’s mentality on the court. The lefty point guard scored the first seven points of the game, hitting two three pointers from the center of the arc, with one resulting in a four point play. He finished the first quarter with ten of his 17 points.
“I just came out looking for my shot and let the offense come to me,” said Willmott.
Along with Willmott, the rest of the Raiders offense flourished. After ending the first quarter with 23 points, the Raiders would not score less than 17 points in each of the next three periods.
“(Setting the tone) was everybody playing as a team and just finding the open look,” said Siracusa. “It didn’t matter who had the ball and the possession.”
Willmott concurred with his coach’s beliefs.
“We pushed the ball more. We executed and played team offense today,” said Willmott.
Not only did the offense play to their potential, but the Raiders continued to play their lockdown style type of defense. Although two Panthers scored double digit points in senior Tyler Liberman (12) and junior Kevin Cadet (10), Roselle Park couldn’t muster up enough baskets, becoming another victim to a defense that has allowed only 39.3 points a game this season. The low amounts of points given up have allowed the Raiders to win by an average of 17.8 points.
Although the program is experiencing immense success compared to past seasons, Siracusa still has a simple approach to the rest of his team’s campaign.
“We’re just going to take one game at a time,” said Siracusa. “But one game at a time, that’s all we’re trying to do here.”
The Raiders will next travel to J.P. Stevens on Friday night, whom the Raiders beat 59-39 on December 28. As for Roselle Park, they will play an away game against Hopatcong on Saturday afternoon.