Throughout the first half of last Friday’s game at East Fairmont, Princeton had no answer for Bees’ senior guard Kailee Haymond.
A proven and capable scorer, Haymond helped turn an 11-3 deficit into a 29-15 lead for her team by scoring 17 points and hitting five three-pointers during a dominant and extended stretch for the home team.
Not until Haymond’s eighth field-goal attempt, which came with time set to expire in the first half, did she miss a shot, which followed seven straight makes and 20 first-half points that staked the Bees to a six-point halftime advantage.
In the second half, however, as East Fairmont was held to 19 points, Haymond attempted two shots, scored two points and the Tigers powered their way to a 53-48 victory.
“Abbey Honaker’s defense in the second half won us this basketball game,” Princeton head coach Matt Smith said moments after his team improved to 9-4.
Indeed, Honaker blanketed Haymond and helped minimize her impact on a short-handed East Fairmont squad that’s relying on her more than usual as a result of injuries to several key players.
“We needed to keep it out of her hands,” Smith said. “You could tell that she was feeling it, but Abbey frustrated her a little bit and continued to deny, and that’s a big reason we won.”
Honaker also contributed eight points as one of six Princeton players to score between six and 10. All eight Tigers to attempt at least one shot scored, with 10 points from both Kylee Jackson and Tylar Burks the team high.
The Tigers adequately handled East Fairmont’s patented full court pressure that’s been problematic for plenty of opponents in recent seasons, turning it over 16 times in the triumph. Princeton made 17 field goals and perhaps more impressively, 17-of-21 free throws, including 4 of 4 from Natalie Rose over the final 1:37 to help preserve the victory.
“I’ve told people I like that this team is balanced,” Smith said. “There’s not one player where you may say, ‘OK, let’s focus on this and take it away.’”
Despite not having a surplus of size, Princeton’s rebounding prowess was also a big part of its most recent win. After both teams went to halftime with 14 boards, the Tigers finished with a commanding 32-23 advantage on the glass. Burks snatched eight, while Addy McCabe and Chy Carruthers totaled six each.
“They killed us on the glass. They’re averaging 36 or 37 rebounds a game and it showed tonight, and they beat us at the foul line,” Bees’ head coach James Beckman said. “That’s a huge difference.”
For Smith, controlling the boards was as gratifying as any aspect that played a pivotal role in the result.
“You don’t have to have talent to have effort. When your number is called, go out there and play hard,” Smith said. “We have a group of girls that play hard, get after it and all five crash the glass. That’s the way it has to be and they’ve bought into that. We can preach whatever, but if the girls don’t buy in, it doesn’t matter.”
One year after falling at Sissonville and missing out on a state tournament appearance by one game, the Tigers are striving to break through and conclude their 2025-26 campaign in Charleston.
Smith is hopeful a challenging schedule featuring a variety of quality programs from different classifications proves beneficial when it matters most.
Princeton’s four losses are against Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Huntington and James Monroe. The Tigers’ resume also includes victories over Capital, Nitro, Shady Spring, Bluefield, Nicholas County, Wyoming East, PikeView and Herbert Hoover.
“We’re young, but we’re talented,” Smith said. “The reason for challenging yourselves with those teams is East Fairmont, Nitro, Greenbrier East, those are the type of teams that we have to contend with. When you can see the style of play of a George Washington or Huntington, it’s only going to help you. We’ve had some struggles, but that only helps our girls grow. Having seen it before is a big part of not collapsing when the pressure comes. We’ve handled it pretty well. Playing tougher opponents early in the season helps.”